Long Beach State Freshman Phenom Moni Nikolov, Hawai’i Head Coach Charlie Wade Claim Big West Individual Honors

After a stellar freshman campaign for the No. 1 team Long Beach State, setter Moni Nikolov has been named Big West Player and Freshman of the Year, as voted on by the league’s six head coaches.  

Nikolov, who hails from Sofia, Bulgaria, follows in brother Alex’ footsteps in the top freshman honoree, the Big West’s 2022 winner. Moni surpasses him in claiming the Player of the Year award and is just the second setter to top the list (Jakob Thelle, Hawai’i, 2022-23). 

This season, Nikolov has amassed impressive numbers in a first collegiate campaign, making valuable contributions in every facet of the game. As the primary setter for the nation’s best offense, Nikolov heads into the national postseason averaging 9.99 assists per set. With Nikolov at the helm, the Beach currently leads the nation in hitting percentage at 0.396. 

Also strong at the net, both offensively and defensively, Nikolov has put down 153 kills (1.53/set) and denied 77 total blocks (0.770/set) for a LBSU squad that is second nationally in both team categories.  

Impressively, Nikolov’s prowess at the service line is unmatched in Division I this season. His 94 total aces and counting is a new Big West single-season record, set during the semifinal round of The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship. Averaging 0.940 aces per set, Nikolov contributes 43 percent of the team’s 2.21 average aces, which is a national team high.  

Nikolov is the first Long Beach State student-athlete to earn Big West Player of the Year since 2019 when Kyle Ensign took home the honors.  

After guiding Hawai’i to The Big West championship, head coach Charlie Wade has been tapped by his colleagues for a third career Coach of the Year honor after also earning acclaim in 2022 and ’23. 

Wade and the Rainbow Warriors took down regular-season victor LBSU in the Championship finale to earn the league’s automatic bid into the 2025 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship where they picked up the No. 2 seed in the bracket.  

Wade is now the program’s all-time leader in head coaching victories at 318, with the record broken during The Big West Championship. In 16 seasons at the helm, Wade currently owns a career record of 318-130 (.719) and surpassed Mile Wilton’s mark that had been on the books since 2009. Currently with a mark of 26-5 on the year, UH has seen five consecutive seasons with 20 or more victories. 

Both Hawai’i and Long Beach State open play at the 2025 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship next Thursday, May 8, from the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Big West is seeking a fifth national championship since becoming a conference-sponsored sport, with both LBSU and UH owning a set of back-to-back titles in that span.