Long Beach State University Athletics

Photo by: Kat Acosta @photosbyKatAcosta
10/27/2026 12:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Beach welcomes Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 30) and CSUN (Oct. 31) to the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Long Beach State is over halfway through the Big West conference schedule after sweeping Cal State Fullerton twice last week to claim sole possession of second place in the conference standings with eight matches left in the regular season. The Beach is home for six of those final eight contests, starting with home dates this week against Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 30 and CSUN on Oct. 31. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
RIGHT AWAY
• Long Beach State has won 12 straight sets over the past two weeks, dating back to the third set of the visit to Utah Valley where the Beach overcame 24-21 deficits in both the third and fourth sets of a five-set win. LBSU followed with a sweep of Sacramento State before two more sweeps of Cal State Fullerton last week. Several individual career-high performances highlighted the weekend, as sophomore Izzy Mahaffey recorded 23 digs in the Saturday win while graduate student Reagan Hope had a career-high 11 kills to lead LBSU in the Friday sweep. As a team, Long Beach State hit over .300 and held the Titans under .100 in both matches.
• Long Beach State leads the all-time series with Cal State Bakersfield, 11-2, including 8 consecutive victories against the Roadrunners. LBSU is 6-1 at home in the series, including a five-set win on Oct. 25, 2025, which was the last time Cal State Bakersfield visited the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
• The Beach leads the all-time series with CSUN, 65-27, although the Matadors have won consecutive matches against LBSU for the first time since 2013. Both of those matchups have been in Northridge, and the series returns to the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid where Long Beach State has won 10 straight over the Matadors.
• The Beach went 10-0 in the month of September for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2001. In doing so, they notched wins over teams from seven different conferences (Big West, Big 12, Pac-12, WCC, Mountain West, Ohio Valley, and Ivy League).
THE LONG BEACH TRADITION
• After a 22-9 record in 2025 under third-year head coach Natalie Reagan, Long Beach State began the year with an all-time record of 1,340-525-6. The program's 1,340 wins rank eighth in Division I history, trailing only Nebraska, BYU, Penn State, UCLA, Texas, Hawai'i, and Minnesota. The team's .718 winning percentage in history also ranks 12th in Division I history.
• Long Beach State are five-time national champions, winning AIAW championships in 1972 and 1973 and NCAA titles in 1989, 1993, and 1998. The Beach has made the NCAA Final Four 8 times, most recently in 2001, and has made 27 NCAA Tournament appearances.
FOR THE FANS
• Long Beach State has had over 3,000 fans watch the team at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid 17 times, including the opening match of the season this year against UCLA. A program-record 5,118 packed the 'mid to view the 1998 National Champions featuring Misty May-Treanor against UC Santa Barbara in 1998. Overall, the Beach ranked in the Top 50 in attendance last season, with over 23,000 fans seeing the team at home in 2025.
• Six of the seven home matches of 2026 have drawn over 1,000 fans, including four matches with 1,500-plus. With average attendance of 1,720, the Beach ranks third among all California schools (behind Stanford and USC) and eighth among mid-majors this season.
SEASON IN BRIEF
• Season Opener: In front of over 3,000 in the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid, Long Beach State won their first set of the season against UCLA, but the Bruins ultimately won both halves of the home-and-home matchup between the two Southern California volleyball rivals.
• Non-Conference Highlights (Week 2): Long Beach State won the remaining eight non-conference matchups, starting with an excellent 3-0 weekend at the Utah Classic. LBSU started with a dominant 3-0 win over Eastern Illinois, hitting over .400, and followed with two thrilling five-set wins. Sidney Hamaker had a career-high 20 kills in the win over Big 12 foe Utah, and Madi Maxwell recorded her second triple-double of the season (36 assists, 13 digs, 10 kills).
• Non-Conference Highlights (Week 3): Sidney Hamaker was co-MVP of the LBSU/UCI tournament as the Beach went 3-0 against Brown, San Jose State and Loyola Marymount. The outside hitter saved her best for LMU, which was 7-1 at the time, making 15 kills on .480 hitting in the sweep of the Lions. Madi Maxwell won her second straight Big West Setter of the Week award after guiding Long Beach State to .242 hitting over the same weekend.
• Non-Conference Highlights (Week 4): Long Beach State extended their winning streak to eight with two wins on the road at Pac-12 Washington State. The Beach swept the Cougars in the opener before rallying for a five-set win behind 20 kills from Sidney Hamaker in the rematch.
• Big West (Week 1): Madi Maxwell won Big West Defensive Player of the Week, leading Long Beach State to two road wins and posting the program's first 10-match win streak since 2014. Maxwell registered 13 blocks and 28 digs in the two-match week, and the Beach had a season-high 18.5 blocks (3 solo, 31 assist) in a 4-set win at UC San Diego.
• Big West (Week 2): Long Beach State earned a weekend split of Big West road matches with a 3-set sweep at Cal State Bakersfield just 24 hours after CSUN limited the Beach to a season-low hitting percentage in a sweep. Sidney Hamaker put away a match-high 12 kills to lead a well-balanced offense, which recorded a .299 hitting percentage in the win at Bakersfield.
• Big West (Week 3): In its Big West home opener, Long Beach State scored a four-set win to hand UC Santa Barbara their first conference defeat. Sophomore Sidney Hamaker led the way with 14 kills and 5 aces, while junior setter Madi Maxwell posted 7 blocks and 17 digs. Cal Poly swept LBSU the next day to remain unbeaten in conference play despite 14 kills from Hamaker.
• Big West (Week 4): LBSU lost the first two sets at Utah Valley and trailed 24-21 in the third set. The Beach rallied to win, 27-25, then rallied from the same 24-21 deficit again for another 27-25 win in set 4. In the fifth, LBSU scored 7 straight for a 9-2 lead and cruised to a 15-6 win. Kyler Birkelbach was outstanding in the sweep at Sacramento State with 12 kills on .750 hitting.
• Big West (Week 5): Long Beach State rolled to a pair of three-set sweeps over Cal State Fullerton, taking sole possession of second place in the Big West standings. Izzy Mahaffey had 41 digs on the week, including a career-high 23 digs in Fullerton, and Reagan Hope helped lead the offense in the home tilt with a career-high 11 kills. Sidney Hamaker led the Beach in scoring and kills in both matches, going for 25 kills and 27.5 points on the week.
ON THE OUTSIDE
• Sophomore Sidney Hamaker has carried the load offensively for Long Beach State in her second season. Hamaker has led the Beach in kills 18 times in 20 matches, averaging a team-high 3.76 kills per set. She has three matches with 20-plus kills, most recently a career-high 23 kills in the five-set reverse-sweep win at Utah Valley, plus two additional performances with 15-plus kills.
• Redshirt Freshman Chloe Johnson is also making an early impact. Reaching double-figure kills for the first time with 10 against Wyoming, Johnson is third on the team with 124 kills on the year, averaging 1.77 per set. Johnson led the Beach with 10 kills in the first win at Washington State before setting a career-high of 13 in the second match.
• Senior Kendal Murphy has played a key role for the Beach after transferring from Baylor. Starting 16 of 20 matches this season, Murphy has 17 service aces and has made 104 kills on the year. Murphy set a season-high with 11 kills against San Jose State.
SETTER SPOTLIGHT
• Junior Madi Maxwell is already a three-time Big West Setter of the Week recipient, most recently after leading Long Beach State to road wins at Utah Valley and Sacramento State. The preseason All-Big West selection recorded her third triple-double of the season against Utah Valley, and she is third in Division I in triple-doubles this year. The 6-foot-2 setter also won Big West Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 28 after the conference opening weekend when she led the Beach to road wins at UC Irvine and UC San Diego. She now has nine career Big West weekly honors (six Setter of the Week, one Defensive Player of the Week, and two Freshman of the Week) and was selected a Second Team All-Big West honoree following her 2025 sophomore campaign.
• Sophomore Kinga Ziolkowska has played in every set the last seven matches, recording 65 of her 73 assists this season in the past four matches alone. A transfer from McNeese State, Ziolkowska made a season-high 24 assists at Utah Valley and had a season-high 3 aces at Cal State Bakersfield. Her emergence provides Long Beach State a 6-2 option as a setter to aid Maxwell's transition into an attacking role on the front row.
BLOCK PARTY
• Long Beach State is averaging over 9 blocks per match this season and is among Big West leaders in blocks through the first five weeks of conference play, averaging 2.79 blocks per set through 10 matches. The Beach are holding Big West opponents to just .162 hitting, ranking second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage. Pola Bujnarowska is second in the Big West in blocks per set (1.29) during conference play.
• Junior Pola Bujnarowska is becoming a consistent force in the middle, posting 52 of her team-high 76 blocks over the past 11 matches. She had a monster match against Wyoming, making 10 blocks against the Cowgirls, and she added 8-block performances in victories over Washington State and UC San Diego. The junior is averaging 1.17 blocks per set overall, which has increased during Big West matches to average 1.29 blocks per set. She has played in 18 matches, starting 16, times, hitting a team-high .358 with 100 kills on the year.
• An unconventional path brought middle blocker Reagan Hope to Long Beach State. A Top 25 recruit out of high school, Hope spent two seasons at Oregon before fully devoting her time to Beach Volleyball. She played two seasons with UCLA Beach Volleyball before going 15-15 overall with Arizona State in her final season of Beach. She now returns to LBSU to finish off her indoor career, and despite missing two matches, Hope has 59 total blocks and is hitting .297 on the year. She had a career-high 11 kills to lead Long Beach State's Oct. 23 win over Cal State Fullerton.
• Freshman Kyler Birkelbach is on a recent run of success for the Beach with 10 kills on Oct. 24 at Cal State Fullerton. A week earlier at Sacramento State, Birkelbach had a career-high 12 kills on just 16 attacks for a .750 hitting percentage, the best of the season by any LBSU hitter with at least 12 kills in a match. In the same match, she tied her career-high with 7 blocks and added a pair of aces, also a career-best. In the decisive third set, she had 5 kills on 7 swings to go with 5 blocks in the final set after going for 5 kills on 5 swings in the second set. She also finished strong in the five-set win at Washington State, collecting 4 kills on 6 swings to close out the win. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker has 18 blocks over the past three matches.
DIGGING IT
• The Beach returns both of their liberos from last season. Both true freshmen in 2025, Izzy Mahaffey finished with 211 digs and 11 aces on the year while Anna Jelinek added 183 digs and 8 aces, with both playing in every match during the season.
• Izzy Mahaffey has 81 digs in the past four matches, averaging 5.79 digs per set over that span, and she surpassed her previous career-high in digs each of the past two weeks. Mahaffey had 18 digs at home against Cal State Fullerton Oct. 23 and set a career-high with 23 digs in the road rematch on Oct. 24. A week earlier, Mahaffey was the Big West Defensive Player of the Week after her then career-high 21 digs at Utah Valley, with 13 of those in the final two sets, and 19 digs at Sacramento State. Mahaffey has played in every set, making 172 digs while providing a boost on serve with 16 aces on the year. Jelinek ranks second on the team in digs, averaging 2.84 per set, and started at libero 16 times this season. Senior Laurel Barsocchini has also played a big role for the Beach, seeing time in 62 sets as a defensive specialist, including a start, and making 10 aces so far.
THIS AND THAT
• Madi Maxwell and Madi Collins also compete on Long Beach State's Beach Volleyball team. The pair were both on the 2026 team for Long Beach State that finished the year ranked No. 9 in the nation and made a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships held in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
• Long Beach State is coming off of the program's second 20-win season in the last three years as Natalie Reagan returns for her third season as the program's head coach. The Beach posted a 22-9 overall record in the 2025 season, tying for second overall in the Big West, but fell in the Big West Championship semifinals to eventual champions Cal Poly. The Beach had five All-Big West honorees, which included a pair of returners in junior setter Madi Maxwell and sophomore outside hitter Sidney Hamaker.
• LBSU's 2-0 start to Big West play marked the third straight season they started conference play with at least two consecutive wins. In 2025, the Beach won 5 in a row at the front of the Big West schedule, a year after winning three straight to kick off the 2024 conference campaign.
RIGHT AWAY
• Long Beach State has won 12 straight sets over the past two weeks, dating back to the third set of the visit to Utah Valley where the Beach overcame 24-21 deficits in both the third and fourth sets of a five-set win. LBSU followed with a sweep of Sacramento State before two more sweeps of Cal State Fullerton last week. Several individual career-high performances highlighted the weekend, as sophomore Izzy Mahaffey recorded 23 digs in the Saturday win while graduate student Reagan Hope had a career-high 11 kills to lead LBSU in the Friday sweep. As a team, Long Beach State hit over .300 and held the Titans under .100 in both matches.
• Long Beach State leads the all-time series with Cal State Bakersfield, 11-2, including 8 consecutive victories against the Roadrunners. LBSU is 6-1 at home in the series, including a five-set win on Oct. 25, 2025, which was the last time Cal State Bakersfield visited the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
• The Beach leads the all-time series with CSUN, 65-27, although the Matadors have won consecutive matches against LBSU for the first time since 2013. Both of those matchups have been in Northridge, and the series returns to the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid where Long Beach State has won 10 straight over the Matadors.
• The Beach went 10-0 in the month of September for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2001. In doing so, they notched wins over teams from seven different conferences (Big West, Big 12, Pac-12, WCC, Mountain West, Ohio Valley, and Ivy League).
THE LONG BEACH TRADITION
• After a 22-9 record in 2025 under third-year head coach Natalie Reagan, Long Beach State began the year with an all-time record of 1,340-525-6. The program's 1,340 wins rank eighth in Division I history, trailing only Nebraska, BYU, Penn State, UCLA, Texas, Hawai'i, and Minnesota. The team's .718 winning percentage in history also ranks 12th in Division I history.
• Long Beach State are five-time national champions, winning AIAW championships in 1972 and 1973 and NCAA titles in 1989, 1993, and 1998. The Beach has made the NCAA Final Four 8 times, most recently in 2001, and has made 27 NCAA Tournament appearances.
FOR THE FANS
• Long Beach State has had over 3,000 fans watch the team at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid 17 times, including the opening match of the season this year against UCLA. A program-record 5,118 packed the 'mid to view the 1998 National Champions featuring Misty May-Treanor against UC Santa Barbara in 1998. Overall, the Beach ranked in the Top 50 in attendance last season, with over 23,000 fans seeing the team at home in 2025.
• Six of the seven home matches of 2026 have drawn over 1,000 fans, including four matches with 1,500-plus. With average attendance of 1,720, the Beach ranks third among all California schools (behind Stanford and USC) and eighth among mid-majors this season.
SEASON IN BRIEF
• Season Opener: In front of over 3,000 in the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid, Long Beach State won their first set of the season against UCLA, but the Bruins ultimately won both halves of the home-and-home matchup between the two Southern California volleyball rivals.
• Non-Conference Highlights (Week 2): Long Beach State won the remaining eight non-conference matchups, starting with an excellent 3-0 weekend at the Utah Classic. LBSU started with a dominant 3-0 win over Eastern Illinois, hitting over .400, and followed with two thrilling five-set wins. Sidney Hamaker had a career-high 20 kills in the win over Big 12 foe Utah, and Madi Maxwell recorded her second triple-double of the season (36 assists, 13 digs, 10 kills).
• Non-Conference Highlights (Week 3): Sidney Hamaker was co-MVP of the LBSU/UCI tournament as the Beach went 3-0 against Brown, San Jose State and Loyola Marymount. The outside hitter saved her best for LMU, which was 7-1 at the time, making 15 kills on .480 hitting in the sweep of the Lions. Madi Maxwell won her second straight Big West Setter of the Week award after guiding Long Beach State to .242 hitting over the same weekend.
• Non-Conference Highlights (Week 4): Long Beach State extended their winning streak to eight with two wins on the road at Pac-12 Washington State. The Beach swept the Cougars in the opener before rallying for a five-set win behind 20 kills from Sidney Hamaker in the rematch.
• Big West (Week 1): Madi Maxwell won Big West Defensive Player of the Week, leading Long Beach State to two road wins and posting the program's first 10-match win streak since 2014. Maxwell registered 13 blocks and 28 digs in the two-match week, and the Beach had a season-high 18.5 blocks (3 solo, 31 assist) in a 4-set win at UC San Diego.
• Big West (Week 2): Long Beach State earned a weekend split of Big West road matches with a 3-set sweep at Cal State Bakersfield just 24 hours after CSUN limited the Beach to a season-low hitting percentage in a sweep. Sidney Hamaker put away a match-high 12 kills to lead a well-balanced offense, which recorded a .299 hitting percentage in the win at Bakersfield.
• Big West (Week 3): In its Big West home opener, Long Beach State scored a four-set win to hand UC Santa Barbara their first conference defeat. Sophomore Sidney Hamaker led the way with 14 kills and 5 aces, while junior setter Madi Maxwell posted 7 blocks and 17 digs. Cal Poly swept LBSU the next day to remain unbeaten in conference play despite 14 kills from Hamaker.
• Big West (Week 4): LBSU lost the first two sets at Utah Valley and trailed 24-21 in the third set. The Beach rallied to win, 27-25, then rallied from the same 24-21 deficit again for another 27-25 win in set 4. In the fifth, LBSU scored 7 straight for a 9-2 lead and cruised to a 15-6 win. Kyler Birkelbach was outstanding in the sweep at Sacramento State with 12 kills on .750 hitting.
• Big West (Week 5): Long Beach State rolled to a pair of three-set sweeps over Cal State Fullerton, taking sole possession of second place in the Big West standings. Izzy Mahaffey had 41 digs on the week, including a career-high 23 digs in Fullerton, and Reagan Hope helped lead the offense in the home tilt with a career-high 11 kills. Sidney Hamaker led the Beach in scoring and kills in both matches, going for 25 kills and 27.5 points on the week.
ON THE OUTSIDE
• Sophomore Sidney Hamaker has carried the load offensively for Long Beach State in her second season. Hamaker has led the Beach in kills 18 times in 20 matches, averaging a team-high 3.76 kills per set. She has three matches with 20-plus kills, most recently a career-high 23 kills in the five-set reverse-sweep win at Utah Valley, plus two additional performances with 15-plus kills.
• Redshirt Freshman Chloe Johnson is also making an early impact. Reaching double-figure kills for the first time with 10 against Wyoming, Johnson is third on the team with 124 kills on the year, averaging 1.77 per set. Johnson led the Beach with 10 kills in the first win at Washington State before setting a career-high of 13 in the second match.
• Senior Kendal Murphy has played a key role for the Beach after transferring from Baylor. Starting 16 of 20 matches this season, Murphy has 17 service aces and has made 104 kills on the year. Murphy set a season-high with 11 kills against San Jose State.
SETTER SPOTLIGHT
• Junior Madi Maxwell is already a three-time Big West Setter of the Week recipient, most recently after leading Long Beach State to road wins at Utah Valley and Sacramento State. The preseason All-Big West selection recorded her third triple-double of the season against Utah Valley, and she is third in Division I in triple-doubles this year. The 6-foot-2 setter also won Big West Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 28 after the conference opening weekend when she led the Beach to road wins at UC Irvine and UC San Diego. She now has nine career Big West weekly honors (six Setter of the Week, one Defensive Player of the Week, and two Freshman of the Week) and was selected a Second Team All-Big West honoree following her 2025 sophomore campaign.
• Sophomore Kinga Ziolkowska has played in every set the last seven matches, recording 65 of her 73 assists this season in the past four matches alone. A transfer from McNeese State, Ziolkowska made a season-high 24 assists at Utah Valley and had a season-high 3 aces at Cal State Bakersfield. Her emergence provides Long Beach State a 6-2 option as a setter to aid Maxwell's transition into an attacking role on the front row.
BLOCK PARTY
• Long Beach State is averaging over 9 blocks per match this season and is among Big West leaders in blocks through the first five weeks of conference play, averaging 2.79 blocks per set through 10 matches. The Beach are holding Big West opponents to just .162 hitting, ranking second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage. Pola Bujnarowska is second in the Big West in blocks per set (1.29) during conference play.
• Junior Pola Bujnarowska is becoming a consistent force in the middle, posting 52 of her team-high 76 blocks over the past 11 matches. She had a monster match against Wyoming, making 10 blocks against the Cowgirls, and she added 8-block performances in victories over Washington State and UC San Diego. The junior is averaging 1.17 blocks per set overall, which has increased during Big West matches to average 1.29 blocks per set. She has played in 18 matches, starting 16, times, hitting a team-high .358 with 100 kills on the year.
• An unconventional path brought middle blocker Reagan Hope to Long Beach State. A Top 25 recruit out of high school, Hope spent two seasons at Oregon before fully devoting her time to Beach Volleyball. She played two seasons with UCLA Beach Volleyball before going 15-15 overall with Arizona State in her final season of Beach. She now returns to LBSU to finish off her indoor career, and despite missing two matches, Hope has 59 total blocks and is hitting .297 on the year. She had a career-high 11 kills to lead Long Beach State's Oct. 23 win over Cal State Fullerton.
• Freshman Kyler Birkelbach is on a recent run of success for the Beach with 10 kills on Oct. 24 at Cal State Fullerton. A week earlier at Sacramento State, Birkelbach had a career-high 12 kills on just 16 attacks for a .750 hitting percentage, the best of the season by any LBSU hitter with at least 12 kills in a match. In the same match, she tied her career-high with 7 blocks and added a pair of aces, also a career-best. In the decisive third set, she had 5 kills on 7 swings to go with 5 blocks in the final set after going for 5 kills on 5 swings in the second set. She also finished strong in the five-set win at Washington State, collecting 4 kills on 6 swings to close out the win. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker has 18 blocks over the past three matches.
DIGGING IT
• The Beach returns both of their liberos from last season. Both true freshmen in 2025, Izzy Mahaffey finished with 211 digs and 11 aces on the year while Anna Jelinek added 183 digs and 8 aces, with both playing in every match during the season.
• Izzy Mahaffey has 81 digs in the past four matches, averaging 5.79 digs per set over that span, and she surpassed her previous career-high in digs each of the past two weeks. Mahaffey had 18 digs at home against Cal State Fullerton Oct. 23 and set a career-high with 23 digs in the road rematch on Oct. 24. A week earlier, Mahaffey was the Big West Defensive Player of the Week after her then career-high 21 digs at Utah Valley, with 13 of those in the final two sets, and 19 digs at Sacramento State. Mahaffey has played in every set, making 172 digs while providing a boost on serve with 16 aces on the year. Jelinek ranks second on the team in digs, averaging 2.84 per set, and started at libero 16 times this season. Senior Laurel Barsocchini has also played a big role for the Beach, seeing time in 62 sets as a defensive specialist, including a start, and making 10 aces so far.
THIS AND THAT
• Madi Maxwell and Madi Collins also compete on Long Beach State's Beach Volleyball team. The pair were both on the 2026 team for Long Beach State that finished the year ranked No. 9 in the nation and made a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships held in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
• Long Beach State is coming off of the program's second 20-win season in the last three years as Natalie Reagan returns for her third season as the program's head coach. The Beach posted a 22-9 overall record in the 2025 season, tying for second overall in the Big West, but fell in the Big West Championship semifinals to eventual champions Cal Poly. The Beach had five All-Big West honorees, which included a pair of returners in junior setter Madi Maxwell and sophomore outside hitter Sidney Hamaker.
• LBSU's 2-0 start to Big West play marked the third straight season they started conference play with at least two consecutive wins. In 2025, the Beach won 5 in a row at the front of the Big West schedule, a year after winning three straight to kick off the 2024 conference campaign.
Players Mentioned
Sunday, September 22
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