How Sweep It Is! LBSU Claims 2025 Men’s Volleyball National Championship

COLUMBUS, Ohio – How sweep it is! No. 1 Long Beach State needed just three sets to down back-to-back defending champion UCLA to hoist the trophy at the 2025 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship at the Covelli Center.  

With the win, Long Beach State claims the program’s fourth national title, all with Alan Knipe playing a part. In 1991, Knipe was a student-athlete, and now as the head coach of the Beach, a Knipe-led squad went back-to-back in 2018 and ’19 and now celebrates a championship once more in 2025.  

The nation’s best hitting team showed their offensive prowess by hitting .354 in the match, including an impressive .688 in the first set, to take the match with set scores of 25-17, 25-23 and 25-21 and cap the season with 30 wins to just three losses. UCLA meanwhile, only mustered a .192 percentage on the attack as LBSU got the better of the third-seeded Bruins for the third time this season.  

Long Beach State opened the first set with a service ace by AVCA and Big West Player of the Year Moni Nikolov, setting the tone for the match. UCLA was able to knot the score at one and two points apiece but the Beach maintained control throughout the frame, never relinquishing the lead. LBSU got back-to-back combo blocks for freshman Alex Kandev and Isaiah Preuitt to hold the six-point advantage at 20-14 before the set was finished off with the 25-17 score. 

The second set was the Bruins race out to the 4-1 lead after Zach Rama and Sean McQuiggan combined for the denial to force a LBSU timeout. UCLA held the lead  throughout the middle of the set, seeing a five-point margin after Caeron Thorne’s kill made it 15-10. The difference remained after an ace for UCLA’s Ido David forced yet another Beach break with the score at 18-13. LBSU sliced the deficit to two after an error for UCLA made it 20-18 in favor of the Bruins with Nikolov back to the service line. The nation’s leader in aces pounded two in back-to-back fashion with timeouts in between each bomb to knot the game at 20 apiece. Ties were seen at 21 and 22 before Preuitt’s turn at serve gave the Beach set point at 24-22 after a strike from Kandev.  

Managing to stave off the first set point, there was no stopping the finale as what looked to be an overpass was saved with a one-handed set at the net for Nikolov as DiAeris McRaven connected on the big swing to finish the frame 25-23. Kandev was a perfect 1.000 in the set with six kills on six swings while Nikolov provided 10 of LBSU’s 11 assists in the set. 

The third set was tight from the outset with ties at 1, 2 and 3 points before the Beach claimed the advantage of the Nikolov to Kandev Bulgarian connection. Showing range at the service line, Nikolov recorded the off-speed ace to give the Beach a 9-6 lead and a pair of kills for Skyler Varga stretched the advantage to 11-6. UCLA was able to rally to make it a one-point game at 12-11 with a triple block at the net, but LBSU went on a 5-2 run punctuated by a stuff from Varga and McRaven to put the score at 17-13.  

The final set stayed tight after three straight points for the Bruins put the score 21-20 after a big UCLA block of a powerful Kandev swing. Then it was the Beach’s turn for three in a row, finished off by a tip over for Kandev with the score at 23-20. Championship point came at 24-21 after a long rally was finished by a Kandev kill. In fitting fashion, the match ended like it began – with the ball in the hands of the Player of the Year. This time instead of the ace, Nikolov crushed the kill to send the Beach into celebration. 

LBSU was led by a 13-kill outing on .450 hitting for Kandev with Nikolov going off for 27 assists with six kills and four aces. Nato Dickenson provided seven kills with four digs and a pair of blocks with Varga adding five kills in the outing. Kandev, Varga and Nikolov were named to the All-Tournament Team with Nikolov adding Most Outstanding Player to the illustrious resume after a first year of collegiate volleyball.  

2025 NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship All-Tournament Team  

Finn Kearney, Hawaii  

Ryan Barnett, Pepperdine  

Zach Rama, UCLA  

Cooper Robinson, UCLA  

Alex Kandev, Long Beach State  

Skyler Varga, Long Beach State    

Most Outstanding Player Moni Nikolov, Long Beach State