By Davis Ramage
Being appointed “The Bulgarian Prince,” and “The Prodigy,” is high praise to live up to at just 18 years old, but freshman men’s volleyball setter Moni Nikolov has proved why he is the future of volleyball in his short time at Long Beach State.
The 6-foot-8-inch Bulgarian has taken the volleyball world by storm with his creativity and decision-making above the net and his freak athleticism.
His game consists of composure and expert decision-making mixed with violent attacks and serves, even setting the NCAA record for the fastest recorded serve at 80 mph.
His mixture of IQ and athleticism earned him a spot on the Bulgarian national team at just 17 years old.
LBSU head coach Alan Knipe compared Nikolov to the trailblazers of other sports like Magic Johnson, Kevin Durant and Michael Vick, who revolutionized their respective sports with their never-before-seen athleticism at their position and size.
One example of the exceptional volleyball IQ of the 18-year-old is his ability to fake sets on a nightly basis, letting the ball go over the net leaving the opposing team fooled.
“Most of the time, most of my more successful plays are in the moment,” Nikolov said. “It’s just something that I think I have better than you know some other players.”
Knipe realizes that in order to maximize Nikolov’s extraordinary skillset, he needs to “let him be who he is athletically and not box him into a system that we’re forcing him to play in that doesn’t allow him to shine.”
Nikolov’s play style already has young volleyball players trying to emulate the things he does on the court, and the mention of inspiring the next generation of volleyball players puts a smile on his face.
“It feels amazing, it feels like refreshing to see people try new stuff,” Nikolov said. “It’s just how I play, and I guess it’s joyful to the eye, so it feels good, but it’s not my number one priority.”
All of the attention Nikolov has gained from the younger generation has led to an Instagram following of 100,000 and countless videos on social media platforms like TikTok that have thousands of views and likes.
Freshman setter Moni Nikolov setting in warmups before a match against Saint Francis on Jan. 10. By definition, Nikolov is a setter, but the things he does on the court cannot be defined by just one position. Photo credit: Devin Malast
Even he has been scrolling and seen videos of himself. He says it is nice to see people enjoying the way that he plays, but he is not doing anything special, he is just playing the way that he plays.
Nevertheless, he expresses that he does not feel that pressure because volleyball is a craft that he has been working on his whole life. Nikolov made a comparison to studying for a test.
“The more you study, the more you’re gonna get better about it and not be nervous,” Nikolov said.
Nikolov hails from Sofia, Bulgaria, where he and two other LBSU men’s volleyball players attended Vasil Levski Sport School, a high school that treats their sports like a college does as it shapes your schedule around your sport, ultimately prioritizing your respective sport.
Nikolov’s brother, Alex Nikolov, played at The Beach during the 2021-2022 season, and was a major influence in Moni’s commitment to LBSU.
“Obviously, he was very positively minded about being at Long Beach,” Nikolov said. “He helped me a lot in terms of telling me what to expect and everything when coming here.”
It was during the same 2021-2022 season when LBSU defeated a John Speraw-led UCLA team in the semifinals.
With Moni being a young prospect, the Nikolov brothers’ father went to introduce Moni to the legendary coach Speraw, but Speraw “showed no interest” in Moni, deterring Moni from UCLA.
With Speraw resigning in September of this year, Nikolov will not get the opportunity to play against him and beat him, but he and The Beach will get two shots at taking down the reigning national champions on Feb. 7 and Feb. 12.
