Women's Beach Volleyball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- Mike.Campbell@csulb.edu
- Phone:
- 985-7352
Mike Campbell enters his tenth season as head coach for the Beach Volleyball program at Long Beach State. Campbell has led Long Beach State to the postseason three times and has been in the AVCA poll rankings every week of its existence (98 weeks) while accumulating nearly 175 wins at the helm of LBSU.
Campbell and his 2023 team made history, capturing their first ever Big West Championship after an undefeated run through the bracket. Finishing the season with a 24-15 overall record, Long Beach qualified for their second NCAA Championship appearance and finished at No. 11 in the final AVCA rankings.
Awards season saw Campbell win his second Big West Coach of the Year honor while his freshmen standouts, Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah, earned Co-Freshman of the Year honors. The first-year pair went 34-5 in their rookie campaign setting the LBSU record for most pairs and individual victories in a single-season. They also earned an All-Big West First Team selection along with the AVCA Top Flight Award in the second and third flights.
In total, the beach had four All-Big West pairs and three AVCA Top Flight honorees.
For the second consecutive season, the Beach entered the Big West Championships as the No. 2 seed after boasting a 19-12 record for the season. LBSU continued their streak of ranking in the top 25 every week since the AVCA began doing weekly rankings during the 2013 season. The 2022 season five ranked victories with the best coming over No. 4 Loyola Marymount.
After the shortened 2020 season, Coach Campbell and his team were back on the sand for 2021 where they sported a 19-14 record ranking in the top 25 the entire season. Their biggest win of the season came against then-No. 10 Hawai’i, taking down the ‘Bows 3-2 at the Challenge on March 27. They also beat UH a week later when they were ranked No. 16 in the nation.
The Beach entered the Big West Tournament as the two-seed sweeping Sacramento State in the opening round before dropping their second round match to Hawai’i to go into the lower bracket. LBSU rallied back to win two more matches before running into Big West champion Cal Poly in the semi-finals and falling 4-1.
The 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19 with beach volleyball only playing nine matches. They sported a 5-4 record including a win over No. 9 Pepperdine on the road.
In 2019, Mike Campbell began his rebuilding year after losing eight starters to graduation from 2018. He coached his team to a 21-11 record, slating in at third in the Big West. Campbell collected his 100th career victory at the Big West Conference Tournament on April 26 with a 5-0 win against CSU Bakersfield.
Campbell then took his expertise to the AVP, where he coached 2016 Rio Canadian Olympian Chaim Shalk and USA athlete Jeremey Casebeer. The trio made a great team, winning the AVP Seattle and competing in the finals several times throughout the 2019 season.
In 2018, Mike Campbell led his team to a 29-8 overall record placing second in the Big West behind Hawaii and ending the season as the No. 4 team in the nation.
In 2017, Long Beach State made its first appearance in the NCAA Championships in Gulf Shores, ending the season with a 26-10 overall record. Additionally, Campbell earned Big West Coach of the Year honors as the Beach finished the season ranked No. 7 in the nation. Two pairs, Nele Barber/Rachel Nieto and Sasha Karelov/Kobi Pekich were selected first team All-Big West, and Pekich garnered the NCAA’s Elite 90 award, as the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores.
In 2016, Long Beach State was again one of the top teams in the nation, finishing the season ranked No. 9, but a difficult schedule in which the Beach played the top five teams 11 times saw the LBSU finish with a 13-14 record and be ineligible for the postseason.
In 2015, the Beach went 17-7 in his first season, advancing to the AVCA National Championship, where Long Beach State upset Florida International and Hawai’i to advance in the tournament.
Defeating No. 4 Pepperdine in the semifinals, Long Beach State came up just short of capturing the program’s second national championship in a loss in the finals to No. 1 USC. The Beach finished the 2015 campaign as the No. 2 team in the nation.
Additionally, Campbell saw two pairs advance to the AVCA Pairs Championship, where LBSU’s top team’s Delainey Aigner-Swesey and Chelsea Cabrajac along with Tyler Jackson and Anete Brinke represented the 49ers.
Campbell also served as an assistant coach with Long Beach State women’s volleyball program, and comes to the Beach with a background in club coaching, both as a head and an assistant coach.
Most Recently, Campbell is the Head Coach for 14-Long Beach Mizuno Volleyball Club, who has won the Junior Olympic Gold Medal the past two years in a row.
Campbell was the Head Coach for the 15-Roxy team in the Southern California Volleyball Club. He spent one year with the SCVC after spending the previous six years with the Sunshine Volleyball Club in various roles. From 2007-13, Campbell served as an assistant coach and a head coach for girls varying in age from 15-18.
As head coach of the Sunshine 18-Westside, Campbell led his team to a Silver Medal finish in the Junior Olympics in 2013. He also led the 17-Westside team to a Gold Medal finish in the Northeast Junior National Qualifier in 2012.
Campbell had a superstar prep career at Santa Monica High School, leading his team to a CIF-SS title in 2006 while being named the CIF's MVP. He also earned a "AAA" rating on the sand while competing in sand volleyball during his high school years.
He went on to attend UCLA and was the captain of the men's volleyball club team. He also had his first taste of collegiate coaching as the team manager and statistician from 2006-10 for the UCLA women's volleyball team.
The Campbell File
Overall Record: 172-96
2015 AVCA Tournament National Runner-Up
2 NCAA Tournament Appearances (2017, 2023)
2-Time Big West Coach of the Year (2017, 2023)
2 All-Americans (3 honors)
2 Big West Freshmen of the Year
24 All-Big West Pair selections
