The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2023-24 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach State Volleyball is sponsored by Naples Island Car Wash. Visit NaplesIslandCarWash.com to learn more.
Every year an athlete or a team breaks out of the local media world and takes off as a national viral sensation. This year, the Viral Moment of the Year was the entire Spring season, as Long Beach, America, and the world’s volleyball fans were gripped by what LBSU head coach Alan Knipe called ‘Moni Mania.’
Indeed, Long Beach has had some world-class athletes, but we’ve maybe never seen anything like LBSU freshman setter Moni Nikolov, who became the second-ever men’s player to win Nationanl Player of the Year as a frosh (his brother was the first), and who led the Beach to the NCAA championship in Ohio this year.
But his on-court accomplishments don’t encapsulate the star power that made him special. Every online highlight got hundreds of thousands of views as Nikolov brought a worldwide Tik Tok following to the Walter Pyramid.
After the Beach’s road win over Irvine, fans flooded the area around the court at the Bren Events Center, waiting for selfies and autographs.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in men’s volleyball, or really even honestly at Long Beach State,” said LBSU head coach Alan Knipe. “He’s just something that you’ve never really seen in our sport. I hope it’s showing everyone how special this game is and how fast it’s evolving worldwide.”
His millions of followers on social media made viral clips break out of nearly every match. During a match in Chicago early this year, Nikolov hit a serve over 80 mph for an ace, and a clip went viral of the opposing team looking at each other astounded after it hit the floor. Following the match, a mob of fans pressed to meet Nikolov, who happily signed autographs and took pictures for a long while until finally giving a nod to assistant coach McKay Smith that it was time to go.
“Part of my job this year is just making sure we can get him out when he’s ready to go,” said Smith. “It’s pretty cool for men’s volleyball–I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Smith isn’t the only LBSU employee that’s been conscripted into Moni security duty. Associate AD Roger Kirk normally has a pretty relaxed job escorting players to the post-match press conferences. This year he’s had to physically remove Tik Tokers from Nikolov a few times in order to usher the star player of the court at the Pyramid.
Nikolov is off to the world of pro volleyball, but sports fans in Long Beach aren’t likely to forget Moni Mania anytime soon.
