Long Beach State Places Six On AVCA All-America Teams

5/6/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball

Varga Earns First Team Honors; Beach Adds Four Second Team Selections and Two Honorable Mentions

By: Chelsea Pfohl, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State Men's Volleyball placed six student-athletes on the 2026 AVCA All-America teams, with Skyler Varga earning First Team honors, Jackson Cryst, Wojciech Gajek, and Kellen Larson named to the Second Team, and Ben Braun and Jake Pazanti receiving Honorable Mention recognition, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced.

Senior Varga led the way for the Beach with a standout season, totaling 320 kills at 3.20 per set while hitting .322. The outside hitter added 48 service aces and 134 digs, finishing with a team-best 408.0 points.

Freshmen Cryst and Gajek were key contributors to one of the nation's most efficient offenses, as Long Beach State hit .347 as a team. Cryst recorded 144 kills on a team-best .531 hitting percentage while adding 114 total blocks, while Gajek finished with 204 kills and a .334 hitting percentage.

Sophomore Larson anchored the back row en route to Second Team honors, leading the Beach with 187 digs and posting a .960 reception percentage across 548 attempts.

Senior Braun earned Honorable Mention recognition after anchoring the middle, hitting .520 with 110 kills while totaling 89 blocks at 1.11 per set.

Redshirt Freshman Pazanti also picked up Honorable Mention honors after directing the offense, averaging 9.19 assists per set for a total of 827 assists. He added 128 digs and 36 total blocks while guiding Long Beach State to one of the top hitting percentages in the country.

The Beach are 25-4 overall and 8-2 in conference play after capturing the Big West Championship and winning the Long Beach Regional, advancing to the NCAA Final Four this weekend in Los Angeles.