#1 LONG BEACH STATE (20-1, 6-0 Big West) vs. #15 CSUN (11-12, 2-4 Big West)
Date: Friday, April 5
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Radio: 22 West
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (20-1, 6-0 Big West) at #15 CSUN (11-12, 2-4 Big West)
Date: Saturday, April 6
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Northridge, Calif.
Venue:Premier America Credit Union Arena
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoMatadors.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
No. 1 LBSU Men's Volleyball Set To Take On No. 15 CSUN
The top-ranked Beach face No. 15 CSUN this weekend. First, Long Beach State will host the Matadors on Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at Walter Pyramid, then the Beach will travel to Northridge to take on CSUN on Saturday, April 6 at 6 p.m.
Catch All The Action
Both Long Beach State-CSUN matches will be live streamed on ESPN+. This season, 13 of LBSU's 17 home contests will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $9.99 per month ($99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or on the ESPN App. It is also available as part of the Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu for $14.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $24.99 per month (Hulu without ads). Fans can also follow all the action via BeachLiveStats.com.
Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State Men's Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @LBSUMVB. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics on Twitter. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU. And don't forget our hashtag #GoBeach.
In the Rankings
• Long Beach State moved back into the No. 1 spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll three weeks ago. For the third-straight week, the Beach remained in first as they garnered all 23 first-place votes for a total of 460 points. This season, LBSU has earned wins over eight separate nationally ranked teams in No. 16 George Mason (3-1), No. 8 Pepperdine (3-0), No. 2 UCLA (3-1), No. 14 Lewis (3-1), No. 9 Penn State (3-1), and twice against No. 20 UC Santa Barbara (3-1, 3-2), No.1 Hawai (3-0, 3-2), and No. 17 UC San Diego (3-0, 3-0).
• CSUN moved up to No. 15 in the rankings this week. The Matadors picked up two key wins over the last two weeks as they defeated No. 4 Hawaii (3-1) on March 23 on the road, then came home and knocked off No. 5 UC Irvine (3-1) on March 29.
• This season, Long Beach State will face 10 nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. In the non-conference season, the Beach faced No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 9 Penn State, No. 14 Lewis, and No. 16 George Mason. With Big West action underway, LBSU faces nationally-ranked opponents No. 4 Hawaii, No. 5 UC Irvine, No. 15 CSUN, No.19 UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara which has popped in and out of the Top 20 throughout the season.
• The Big West is one of the most competitive Division I Men's Volleyball conferences as all five of the six Big West schools are nationally ranked, with three of them sitting in the Top 5.
About The Beach
• No. 1 Long Beach State comes into the week riding a 10-match winning streak. Overall, LBSU is 20-1 on the year and 6-0 in league play.
• The Beach have now reached 20-plus wins 23 times in program history.
• Two weeks ago, the Beach picked up a pair of victories over then-top-ranked Hawaii. LBSU swept the Bows on Friday, March 15 at the Walter Pyramid, then took UH down in an epic five-setter the following night.
• In the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, Long Beach State was chosen to win the conference. The Beach garnered 23 points and three first-place votes to finish two points ahead of second-place Hawaii and four points ahead of third-place UC Irvine.
• In addition to being the preseason favorite, the Beach also led the way with three players on the Preseason Coaches' Team in senior libero Mason Briggs, redshirt senior setter Aidan Knipe, and junior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis.
• Briggs and Siapanis were also joined by senior middle blocker Simon Torwie and senior opposite Clarke Godbold as Off the Block Preseason All-Americans.
• The Beach return a veteran squad from a year ago with 15 returning letterwinners and four returning starters, plus Briggs at libero.
• The five returning starters in Briggs, Knipe, Siapanis, Godbold, and Torwie were all named AVCA All-Americans last season as they look to continue to hone their craft on the court in 2024.
• Godbold has been incredible to start his senior campaign this season. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter ranks 20th in the nation in attack percentage (.342), while coming in 30th, nationally, in kills per set (3.37). He is 22nd in the country in points per set (4.10) and 24th in blocks per set (0.94).
• Knipe has been masterful this season leading the Long Beach State offense to a .345 attack percentage which is good for fifth in the nation. Knipe has recorded 10.09 assists per set this season, a mark that ranks him eighth in the country. He has guided the Beach to a .300 or higher attack percentage in 11-of-18 matches in which he has played thus far.
• Briggs anchors the defense with 2.43 digs per set which leads The Big West and ranks him sixth in the country. With Briggs' stout defense, the Beach has held their opponents to a .166 attack percentage, a mark that leads the nation.
• Siapanis has been solid for the Beach this season as he ranks 24th nationally with a .326 attack percentage. Meanwhile, he is second on the team with 3.10 kills per set which is good for seventh in The Big West.
• In addition to returning a solid core group, the Beach also stacked their roster with nine newcomers highlighted by freshmen Lazar Bouchkov, Sebastiano Sani, and Daniil Hershtynovich, along with sophom*ore transfer Ben Braun.
• The 6-foot-6 Bouchkov is a six-time Junior National Champion, and a five-time Balkan Champion with the Bulgarian National Team. He is currently leading the nation in blocks per set with 1.37 as he has been unstoppable at the net for the Beach this season.
• Sani is a 6-foot-8 outside hitter who was selected to the U19 USA National Team and helped his squad to an eighth place finish at Nationals. Sani has seen action in nine matches for the Beach this season and made two starts. He recorded a season-high 10-kill performance, while hitting .375, and adding three aces and two blocks against Edward Waters on Feb. 17.
• Hershtynovich is a 6-foot-9 opposite from Toronto, Canada who played for the U19 and U21 National Team. He led his team to third place at Canadian Club Nationals and helped his squad to a third place showing at the U21 PanAm Cup. Hershtynovich has played in eight matches this season and made three starts at opposite. He is averaging 1.86 kills per set on a .442 (26-7-43) clip on the year. He also adds 0.57 blocks per set and 0.29 aces per set.
• Braun is a 6-foot-11 middle blocker to came to Long Beach State from Ohio State. Prior to his time with the Buckeyes, Braun was named to the Fab 50 by Volleyball Magazine in 2021. He was also named to the High Performance Team in 2020 for Men's Junior A1NTTP. Braun has come off the bench in four matches for LBSU this season and has earned one start. This year, he is averaging 1.43 blocks per set, 0.43 kills per set, and 0.29 aces per set.
• Last season, LBSU Head Coach Alan Knipe became the winningest coach in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history. On February 2, Knipe recorded his 400th career victory with a 3-0 sweep of King. During his 21-year head coaching career, Knipe boasts a .713 winning percentage.
Scouting CSUN
• No. 15 CSUN comes into the week against the Beach with an 11-12 overall record. The Matadors are 2-4 in Big West action.
• The Matadors' two wins in conference play were two big wins. CSUN defeated two Top 5 teams in Hawaii, 3-1, on the road on March 23 and UC Irvine, 3-1, at home on March 29.
• With those two key victories, CSUN snapped a four-match losing skid and has now won two of its last three contests.
• Kyle Hobus leads the offensive attack for the Matadors with 3.76 kills per set on a .300 hitting percentage. He also leads the team with 38 aces (0.43 per set) and blocking defense (71 total blocks to average 0.80 per set), while chipping in 0.97 digs and 0.26 per set.
• At setter, Donovan Constable paces the Matadors with 10.01 assists per set, while the team owns a .312 attack percentage. Constable also adds 1.24 digs per set, 0.61 blocks per set, and 0.60 kills per set, while hitting .373.
• Evan Boyle is the team's libero as he has logged a team-leading 126 digs to average 1.73 per set. He also chips in 0.45 assists per set. His digs per set are also tops on the squad.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Matadors
Long Beach State and CSUN will meet for the 90th and 91st time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 55-34 and have won the last five matches against the Matadors. Last season, the Beach swept the series with CSUN. LBSU earned a five-set win on April 7 in Northridge, then came home to the Walter Pyramid and earned a 3-0 sweep on April 8. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., LBSU leads the series 27-10. When playing each other in Northridge, the Beach lead 19-16.
National Accolades
For the first time in his career, Long Beach State freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov was named AVCA Men's National Collegiate Player of the Week on Tuesday, January 30.
Bouchkov was unstoppable at the net as he led Long Beach to a pair of sweeps over No. 10 Pepperdine and Concordia the week prior. With the straight-set wins, the Beach moved from No. 3 to No. 1 in the nation in this week's AVCA/NVA Poll. Bouchkov paced the blocking defense with an impressive 3.00 blocks per set, while also recording 2.75 points per set, to go along with 1.17 kills per set on a .636 attack percentage (7-0-11).
The product out of Sofia, Bulgaria kicked off the week with 10 blocks against the Waves on Friday night. The double-figure block performance is the second in his young career and just one off his career-best. Bouchkov also added four kills on six errorless swings for a .667 attack percentage, while dishing out one assist.
The next night, Bouchkov put up eight blocks against the Golden Eagles, while tallying three kills on five swings without committing an error en route to hitting .600. He also added a dig in the Beach's convincing sweep on Saturday night of Concordia.
Big West Honors
The Beach continue to rack up the Big West Weekly honors as Simon Torwie went back-to-back winning Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday, Feb. 26, then taking home Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, March 4. He claimed his third honor of the season with a Defensively Player of the Week nod on Monday, March 19.
Libero Mason Briggs and middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov have each won the award twice on the Defensive side. Briggs, who leads The Big West in digs per set, captured the honors on January 15 and February 12, while Bouchkov, the nation's leader in blocks, won the award in back-to-back weeks on January 22 and 29. Adding to the defensive honors, just this week, junior middle blocker DiAeris McRaven earned his first-ever Big West weekly honors.
If that weren't enough, senior outside hitter Clarke Godbold was recognized for his offensive prowess on January 22 as he was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week.
Numbers to Watch
Mason Briggs and Aidan Knipe are both closing in on some career marks. Briggs has accumulated 871 career digs has he sits in third place all time at Long Beach State and is just 15 digs away from tying Zach Small for second. He is part of an elite group of Long Beach Legends as he is just one of five to have recorded 800 or more career digs. Additionally, Briggs has racked up 42 double-figure dig matches over his career to rank third all-time at Long Beach State. He is just one 10-plus dig performance away from tying Long Beach Legend Dustin Watten with 43, and three double-digit dig matches away from jumping Andrew Sato as the new program record holder with 45.
Aidan Knipe, meanwhile, has racked up 2,871 career assists as he sits in eighth all-time at the Beach. He is now 129 assists away from reaching the 3,000 career assists milestone which has only been accomplished seven times in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history. Knipe is in the exclusive company of fellow Long Beach Legends Tyler Hildebrand (6,651 career assists), Josh Tuaniga (4,607 career assists), and Mike Klipsch (3,890 career assists) who rank first, fourth, and sixth, respectively.
Milestone Moment
In his 21st year at the helm of the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program, Head Coach Alan Knipe recorded his 400th career victory on February 2 with a 3-0 sweep of King. Last season, Knipe became the program's all-time winningest coach, and this year he surpassed the 400-career win milestone, and owns a .713 winning percentage. In his time leading the Beach, Knipe has coached six National Players of the Year, and led the program to 11 NCAA Championship appearances, including two National Titles. Knipe has coached 70 All-America selections and 90 All-Conference selections, while mentoring numerous players who have gone on to play professionally overseas and on the AVP circuit.
Block Party
The Beach started the 2024 season with a strong blocking defense presence at the net and now, 21 matches into year, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.36 blocks per set. Individually, LBSU has four players in the Top 25 in the country in blocks per set. Freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov leads the way with 1.37 blocks per set which leads the nation. Coming in behind Bouchkov are Simon Torwie (1.32 bps), Skyler Varga (0.95), and Clarke Godbold (0.94 bps) who rank third, 19th, and 24th, respectively, in the nation.
Can You Dig It?
Senior Mason Briggs has established himself as one of the nation's top liberos over the last four years. Briggs currently leads The Big West in digs per set with 2.43, a mark that is good for sixth in the nation. Briggs recorded a season-high 17-dig performance at No. 19 UC Santa Barbara on March 9. He has now recorded double figure digs 42 times in his career and has led LBSU in digs on 67 occasions. With his solid defense, Briggs has helped limit opponents to a .166 attack percentage, which leads both The Big West and the country.
Helping Hands
Senior setter Aidan Knipe has done an excellent job this season piloting the Beach to a .345 attack percentage, which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the country. Knipe has dished out 10.09 assists per set to come in second in the league and eighth the nation. With 666 helpers on the year, Knipe has brought his career total to 2,871 which ranks him in the Top 10 in the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Record Book.
The Best In The (Big) West
Long Beach State has established itself as one of the top teams, statistically speaking in The Big West. The Beach lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.166) and blocks per set (3.36). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.345).
Individually, LBSU has two players who lead the conference as Lazar Bouchkov sets the standard in blocks per set (1.37), and Mason Briggs owns a league-leading 2.43 digs per set average.
Mid Magic
This season, Long Beach State has done an incredible job playing at home at the Walter Pyramid. When playing in the 'Mid, the Beach are a perfect 15-0 this season. LBSU has not dropped a home match since February 10, 2023 against UCLA. The Beach are currently riding a 23-match home winning streak dating back to last season. That streak ranks third in the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Record Book.
Growing The Game
As the sport of boy's and men's volleyball continues to grow nation wide, the National Collegiate level has expanded adding the Northeast Conference (NEC) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). In order to continue to grow the game, Long Beach State is playing four matches against NEC and SIAC members this season. The Beach open the year against NEC members Long Island and Saint Francis (Pa.), and also host a mid-season tournament which will feature SIAC members Central State and Edward Waters.
Expanding The Tournament
As the game grows, so does the NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament. This season, the tournament will feature eight teams in the field instead of seven. The expanded NCAA Tournament field is due to the SIAC being awarded an automatic bid. The SIAC will now join The Big West, Conference Carolinas, EIVA, MIVA, and MPSF as automatic bid conferences. With the expansion, there will now be NCAA Quarterfinal matches on Tuesday, April 30, before the NCAA Semifinals on Thursday, May 2. The NCAA Championship match will take place on Saturday, May 4. All NCAA Tournament match will be played at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
Welcome To The Beach
Long Beach State Head Men's Volleyball Coach Alan Knipe announced the signing of seven of the nation's top recruits as part of his 2024 signing class. The talented class of Ford Harman, Alex Kandev, Kellen Larson, Victor Loiola, Moni Nikolov, Jake Pazanti, and Isaiah Preuitt will join the Beach for the 2025 season.
Three players, in Larson, Loiola, and Preuitt, have played for the USA Boys National Team as Larson anchored the USA defense as libero, while Loiola was a top point scorer at outside hitter, and Preuitt was a stalwart at the net as a middle. Meanwhile, Nikolov is a member of the Bulgarian Boys National Team.
"We are excited to unite these young men and their families with our Long Beach community, athletic department, and men's volleyball family," said Knipe. "This signing class will assist Long Beach State with maintaining sustainable success for years to come.
"They have set the highest standards in our craft; set on a path of winning national championships, competing at the highest international level, and becoming Olympians. They join our family bringing a wealth of experience in the USA and International volleyball pipelines, many of them having played in some major tournaments thus far.
"They have set major aspirations in the classroom and for post-volleyball careers; looking to enter in our colleges of business, engineering, real estate, and the medical field.
"Just as important, they are all incredible, holistic people; they will join us ready to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual self. They look to becoming amazing fathers, husbands, and leaders that will make a positive impact in our world.
"It is with these traits of high volleyball standards, high academic goals, and being a holistic young man, that we are excited to announce your recruiting class of 2024!"
Next Up
Long Beach State will face No. 5 UC Irvine next week. The Beach and the Anteaters will play on Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m. at the Bren Events Center, before hosting UCI on senior day at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m.
