The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2025-26 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
It would take a lot to drain the defending national champion Long Beach State men’s volleyball program of its formula for success. With four national championships—three of them in the last eight years—that formula has grown far beyond what any single player or coach could carry.
That’s why there’s no sense of stress for Long Beach native and new head coach Nick MacRae, formerly a 13-year assistant at his alma mater. With the page now turned on the era of legendary coach Alan Knipe, who announced his retirement last month, MacRae is embracing change within the program while maintaining that same successful formula.
“It’s a nice, calm dance between the two,” MacRae said. “There’s going to be pressure on us, but pressure is the greatest privilege. I was born and raised here, and I know the community wants us to be successful and great—and that’s how they should feel. Our guys train at the highest level, and they want to be successful and great. On my end and my staff’s end, it’s never going to be a lack of work. We’re going to turn over every stone and give everything we have together.”
Perhaps the much bigger absence for the average fan in attendance will be Bulgarian superstar Moni Nikolov, who turned professional after one of the greatest seasons the sport has ever seen. The 6-foot-10 freshman setter joined his brother as one of only two players to ever win AVCA Player of the Year as a freshman, while leading the Beach to its fourth national championship.
There hasn’t been anything quite like Nikolov, but the void he leaves behind isn’t new for Long Beach State—in just the last decade, the Beach have been awarded a nation-leading five National Player of the Year honors from four different players. And while MacRae doesn’t expect a new prospect to step in and hit 80-mph serves while making acrobatic plays from the setter position, Nikolov’s absence creates opportunity for others to step into larger roles.
“The objective is not to replace Moni,” MacRae said. “We have guys on our team who played last year in the biggest moments, so for the setter who steps in, it isn’t their job to be Moni. Everyone else gets to raise their game, and when you bring that together with the new guys, it’s all going to work itself out.”
Long Beach State enters the season ranked No. 3 in the nation in the AVCA preseason coaches poll and once again features a Player of the Year candidate in standout senior outside hitter Skyler Varga. The first-team All-American led the team with 270 kills last season while hitting .368, and finished second on the team in aces with 33.
Varga is coming off a summer stint in the Volleyball Nations League, where he was the youngest member of Team Canada. He appeared in 10 matches and worked his way up the lineup before capping the season with a 24-kill performance against Ukraine.
“Skyler has no ceiling. He’s a future Olympian. He’s the captain of our team and he’s one of the world’s best off the court—and, as you’ve seen, one of the world’s best on the court,” MacRae said. “Skyler makes everybody around him better. He’s a top one-percenter, and he’s going to keep flourishing because of his work ethic.”
The question becomes: Who will be delivering Varga the ball? MacRae has yet to name a starting setter, but redshirt freshman Jake Pazanti has seen the most time during exhibition play alongside guaranteed starters like Varga. MacRae has also spoken highly of senior setters Island Doty and Ryan Peluso, who he says will be impactful whether on or off the court.
Alongside Varga, the Beach’s offense will lean heavily on sophomore outside Alex Kandev, who emerged as a key piece in Long Beach State’s national championship run last season. Kandev posted match highs in both the semifinal and championship matches a year ago, recording a career-high 19 kills against Pepperdine and 13 against UCLA.
Connor Bloom is expected to play a key role both on the serve and as a pin hitter on either side, while Daniil Hershtynovich is set to return at opposite to open the season. Hershtynovich started for a couple of months last year as part of a revolving lineup for the Beach before his season was cut short by a lower-body injury ahead of the Big West Tournament.
The Beach will also feature a promising freshman alongside Hershtynovich at opposite, as Wojciech Gajek has come along nicely behind him. MacRae has dubbed the pair his “two-headed dragon” at opposite, and Gajek was named Player of the Game after recording 16 kills in his exhibition debut against Alberta.
“They’re both an incredible one-two punch,” MacRae said of the pair. “We’re going to see how hard and how long you can play, and if it gets to a point where the change of speed isn’t there, we can keep making adjustments. What I see is the world’s greatest two-headed dragon.”
Gajek is just one of a handful of impressive newcomers for the Beach, including fellow freshman pin hitter Myles Jordan, who recently competed with the U-19 USA National Team. Long Beach native Jackson Cryst is another freshman poised for a big year, a 6-foot-10 middle who also brings some serious power from behind the service line. The freshman is coming off a stint with Team USA after being called up to the U-21 team.
Cryst is part of a powerhouse group of middle blockers for the Beach, which is by far their deepest position. That group also includes Isaiah Preuitt, who took advantage of his opportunity when called upon in the Final Four last year, as well as 6-foot-11 senior Ben Braun. Sophomore and Grand Canyon transfer Braedon Marquardt will also be in the mix.
“We have the best middle group in the country,” MacRae boasted. “It’s incredible from a training standpoint, and it speaks to every other position group where we don’t have to lock into one formula for the 2026 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team. All four of them are very different, and all four of them want to win national championships. That’s what makes them great, and all four of them will be a part of it.”
Holding down the defense for the Beach will be their rock in sophomore libero Kellen Larson. As just a freshman, Larson anchored the Beach’s defense last year which held its opponents to a nation-leading .209 hitting percentage.
MacRae has rounded out an all-alumni coaching staff around him that includes McKay Smith, who’s been on coaching staff since 2017. New additions include Amir Lugo-Rodriguez, who has coached at multiple stops across the country, and former middle blocker and LBSU assistant Matt Prosser. Aidan Knipe is currently playing overseas and will join the staff upon his return as the Beach’s Director of Player Relations.
“You’re most like the five people you surround yourself with, and I’m surrounding myself with Long Beach guys that want to be head coaches,” MacRae said. “It’s an absolute honor to be with this group.”
Long Beach State is set to host a gauntlet of games at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid this season, including non-conference matchups against UCLA and Penn State. The Beach begin the season this weekend with matches against Lindenwood on Friday and McKendree on Saturday, before opening Big West play with a highly anticipated pair of matchups against Hawai‘i at the Pyramid on March 20–21.
