Nine current and former Long Beach State athletes are competing in the Volleyball Nations League, representing four different countries. Notable participants include brothers Alex and Moni Nikolov for Bulgaria, along with former Long Beach stars Mason Briggs, Kyle Ensing, and Shane Holdaway representing Team USA. Other athletes include Simon Torwie for Germany and Skyler Varga for Canada. This year marks a historic first for the Nikolov brothers as they share the court in the VNL, while both teams are looking to improve their standings mid-competition.

By the Numbers

• Bulgaria’s Alex Nikolov averages over 14 kills per match; Moni Nikolov averages 22 successful sets per match.
• Team USA is currently 2-2, with wins over Iran and Cuba, ranked sixth in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Rankings.
• Germany is 1-3, with a single win against France, while Canada stands at 2-2 after a win over Bulgaria.

Yes, But

Each team faces challenges, such as Team USA’s narrow losses and Bulgaria’s inconsistent performance against tougher opponents. While the Nikolov brothers shine individually, their team’s success is crucial to advance further in the tournament.

State of Play

• Bulgaria’s record is 2-2, with notable individual performances from the Nikolov brothers.
• Team USA also holds a 2-2 record, with veterans making significant contributions in tightly contested matches.
• Germany struggles at 1-3, while Canada matches up with a 2-2 record, showing potential in their recent games.

What’s Next

The upcoming matches for all teams will be crucial for seeding in the playoffs. Continued strong performances from athletes like the Nikolov brothers and Mason Briggs could determine their teams’ trajectories as the tournament progresses.

Bottom Line

Fans and analysts should pay close attention to the individual and team dynamics as Long Beach State’s representatives strive for success in the VNL. Key players must maintain momentum to enhance their teams’ chances in the upcoming matches.

A new large-scale summer festival, 2025 Haeundae Festa, will launch at Busan’s Haeundae Beach from July 1 through the end of August.

Organized by the University Festival Organizing Committee, the event combines performances, beach sports, interactive experiences, and local food to revive Haeundae’s signature summer energy and support nearby businesses.

Under the slogan “Dreaming of Haeundae Again,” the festival aims to recreate the atmosphere of Haeundae’s past summers with a modern twist. Its featured programs include a Steel Troop Experience Zone inspired by the television survival series, a beachside DJ water party, and the return of the Haeundae University Song Festival.

The Steel Troop Experience Zone offers 10 challenge-based courses such as trench combat, tire moving, and tightrope walking. Admission is 15,000 won for elementary students and 20,000 won for older participants.

A DJ-led water party will run daily from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by DJ sets from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., welcoming both domestic and international artists. Tickets for these all-ages sessions are 10,000 won per person.

In the food zone, Woongjangsanghoe, visitors can try dishes made with local ingredients, with free access to shade tents, bean bags, and tables on the beach. Central to the event grounds, a beach sports area will host volleyball, hockey, and Zumba performances against the ocean backdrop.

The opening ceremony on July 4 at 7 p.m. will feature live performances by Baek Ji-young, Jang Min-ho, Kim Soo-chan, and Nora Jo.

The Haeundae University Song Festival returns for a second year, with the final round scheduled for July 26. Composer Kim Hyung-seok will head the jury, joined by Harim and Kwon Jin-won. The event will be hosted by Oh Sang-jin and Park Jin-joo.

To strengthen ties with local commerce, the organizing committee has delivered 60 million won in community funds to the Haeundae Traditional Market Merchants Association and Gunnam-ro shop owners. Coupons will also be issued to tourists during the festival period to encourage spending in surrounding shopping areas and markets.

PHILADELPHIA— Natalie Dumas has pulled off another jaw-dropping triple crown.

The Eastern junior won her third national championship at New Balance Nationals on Sunday, stopping the clock at 2:00.11 to rewrite the New Jersey state record set by Neptune legend Ajee Wilson in 2012. Dumas’ time is also a meet record and the fifth fastest time in U.S. history.

There has never been anyone quite like Natalie Dumas, not in New Jersey and perhaps not in the country on the scholastic level!!! 

Dumas, the indefatigable junior at Eastern, showcased her breathtaking talent once again on Sunday by sending the high school track and field world into an absolute frenzy by completing probably the greatest triple by a U.S. high school girl with yet another head-spinning victory at the New Balance National Championships at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

Dumas, who already won the 400 hurdles on Friday (a meet record 55.99 ) and the flat 400 on Saturday (a meet and NJ record 51.14), pulled off another stunning performance in the 800 when she used a quick burst right before the finish line to win in heart-pounding fashion, stopping the clock at 2:00.11, which smashed the meet and NJ records and is No. 5 in U.S. history!!!! 

That’s right – Dumas went 3 for 3 with 3 meet records and 2 NJ records over the past 3 days! This is a trifecta for the ages!!!!! 

Oh, and she also earned All-American honors with a fast anchor split in the SMR!! So she is a quadruple All-American!

This is the National Championships!!!!! No one is supposed to be able to do that!!!! 

We will be throwing a lot of numbers and stats at you about Dumas, which almost don’t seem real. But first a look at how the 800 played out.     

Dumas was locked in a great battle with national leader Emmry Ross of Michigan, who led after a 58.85 opening 400, but Dumas stayed on her heels with a 59.08 quarter.

Dumas didn’t want to sit and kick, so she took the lead with about 300 to go and opened a 5-meter lead on Ross. But Ross refused to go away, fighting back and drawing just about even with Dumas with around 50 meters left and looked like she might take the lead. But Dumas, with Ross on to her right shoulder, did what she always does, finding something deep down in her tank to make one final surge to get just a stride ahead of Ross to secure the victory. Ross was second in 2:00.25, No. 6 in U.S. history.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

No let’s get into all the numbers and stats for Dumas.

With her times of 55.99 in the 400 hurdles, No. 6 in U.S. history, 51.14 in the 400, also No. 6 in U.S. history and her 2:00.11 in the 800, Dumas is the first girl in U.S. high school history to run sub-52, sub-56 and sub-2:01!!!

In the span of less than 24 hours, Dumas broke state records held by two of the greatest athletes in U.S. history, NJ legends Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Ajee’ Wilson. 

When Dumas burned her 51.14 to win the 400, she broke the NJ record of 51.87 that she shared with McLaughlin-Levrone, who ran that time as a junior at Union Catholic at the 2016 Meet of Champions. McLaughlin-Levrone is a 4-time Olympic gold medalist and the current World Record holder in the 400 hurdles.   

With her 2:00.11 in the 800 on Sunday, Dumas broke the NJ record of 2:00.91 set by the great Ajee’ Wilson of Neptune when she won 2-lapper at the the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships. Wilson is a 2-time Olympian, is the current American Indoor Record holder in the 800, and she won the 800 at the World Indoor Championships in 2022.

Dumas is now the second fastest junior in U.S. history in the 800. The only junior to go faster is Mary Cain of New York, who went 1:59.51 at the 2013 Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Oregon.

The 2:00.11 by Dumas would have placed her sixth at the NCAA Division 1 Championships!

Oh, I almost forgot, about 2 hours after she won the 400 on Saturday Dumas split 2:03.90 to rally Eastern from sixth to second in a NJ No. 4 and U.S. No. 12 all-time 3:53.15!

WHERE DOES THIS RANK?

There has already been plenty chatter about where this jaw-dropping performance by Dumas ranks all-time in U.S. high school history.

Well, I think it’s fair to say that McLaughlin-Levrone making the 2016 U.S. Olympic team in the 400 hurdles as a 16-year-old at Union Catholic is the greatest single-race performance we’ve ever seen by a girl in U.S. high school history. 

I also think it’s equally fair to call this hat trick by Dumas, with the SMR anchor to go with it, the greatest all-round performance we’ve ever seen by a U.S. high school girl.  There just isn’t anyone who can match the kind of range that Dumas has. She’s also run 4:55.66 for 1,600, 24.02 for 200, and she ran 20:26 for 5K at Holmdel Park last fall!!!      

And she has one more year left!!!!