Long Beach State men's volleyball is stepping into a new era. And they're doing it with swagger.
MONI WHO?
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Moni Nikolov, the 6-foot-10 phenom who left everyone speechless last season, is gone. Turned pro after arguably the greatest freshman season ever. But Long Beach State? They're not sweating it.
Coach Nick MacRae, taking over from the legendary Alan Knipe, is all about embracing change. "The objective is not to replace Moni," he said. That's right. They aren't trying to clone Nikolov's insane 80-mph serves. Instead, they're focusing on raising everyone else's game.
THE SKYLER VARGA SHOW
Enter Skyler Varga. The senior outside hitter is the new face of the Beach. Last season, he racked up 270 kills with a jaw-dropping .368 hitting percentage. And he was just warming up. Varga spent his summer with Team Canada, ending with a 24-kill showstopper against Ukraine.
"Skyler has no ceiling," MacRae said. "He makes everybody around him better." A future Olympian? You bet.
