The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2025-26 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
Long Beach State men’s volleyball fans got their first look at the defending national champions on Friday, as the Beach hosted their annual North American Challenge with the first of two pairs of matchups against Alberta and Calgary. First-year head coach Nick MacRae used the games as an opportunity to get everyone involved, as the Beach defeated Alberta 3-1 in the afternoon before sweeping Calgary 25-10, 25-14, 25-23.
“This is a big-time jump start for our season with bringing down Calgary and Alberta [from Canada],” MacRae said. “We have a great relationship with both teams, and they’re going to help challenge us and give us a lot of lessons to learn as a staff and a team. You saw two different matchups today with two different lineups, and a lot of guys going through growth while always trying to flex our Long Beach brand.”
The second lineup against Calgary featured a handful of familiar returning starters from last year, including senior star Skyler Varga, who was deemed Player of the Game and led the match with 13 kills on an efficient .500 hitting. Alex Kandev and Daniil Hershtynovich each chipped in seven kills apiece, as the Beach hit a collective .431 on the night.
The two matchups also provided an opportunity for fans to get a look at a couple of standout freshmen, including Long Beach native and 6-foot-10 middle Jackson Cryst, who was in on four blocks against Calgary. Earlier in the day, freshman Wojciech Gajek won Player of the Game with a 16-kill performance against Alberta, while freshman Myles Jordan also had a solid debut with six kills.
The Beach will be back in action on Sunday with another double header, taking on Calgary at 10am before facing Alberta at 5:30pm.
