By Since transferring to Long Beach State from Ohio State University in 2023, Sotiris Siapanis has been one of the nation’s most accomplished men’s college volleyball players.
From a newcomer at LBSU in 2023 to a veteran leader in 2025, the standout outside hitter has racked up a litany of accolades at The Beach.
These feats include American Volleyball Coaches Association First-Team All-American honors in 2024, AVCA Second-Team All-American honors in 2023 and back-to-back Big West First-Team All-Conference honors in 2023 and 2024.
However, the most important box on his checklist of achievements has been, so far, left unchecked.
“[A national title] is the only goal,” Siapanis said. “Growing up I was always on a very competitive team, and that was always the only goal was to win.”
(From left to right) Skyler Varga redshirt senior opposite hitter and senior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis celebrate with one another as Long Beach State beat UCLA 3-1 on Feb. 7. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
Growing up in the Republic of Cyprus, Siapanis first recalls discovering NCAA volleyball when he was 15 years old. The first NCAA game he ever watched was a national championship match, inspiring him with an image of what he could accomplish.
The ever-elusive national title has narrowly escaped Siapanis’ grasp in the past two seasons.
In his first campaign at The Beach in 2023, the team reached the Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship Tournament. Facing off against the dominant UCLA Bruins, Siapanis led LBSU with 10 kills in the match, but ultimately, the team got swept 3-0.
In 2024, The Beach hosted the national championship game in the Walter Pyramid against the defending champion Bruins and lost 3-1 in four competitive sets.
Siapanis again led The Beach in scoring with 12 kills, five digs and two blocks; however, they fell short of accomplishing his primary goal.
Siapanis looks to amend these prior losses and help claim LBSU’s first title since 2019.
Siapanis said the difference in this year’s team is the significant internal growth of several teammates, including sophomore opposite Daniil Hershtynovich, sophomore outside hitter Sebastiano Sani and redshirt junior outside hitter Connor Bloom.
“It’s a completely new culture within the team; it’s like we’re establishing a new environment,” Siapanis said.
As one of three captains on the team, Siapanis takes great responsibility in cultivating a positive culture in the locker room.
When first transferring to LBSU, the team’s locker room leaders were already established with proven players such as Simon Torwie and Mason Briggs. However, in 2025, Siapanis finds himself in a role he feels much more suited for.
“I shine when I lead the team. It’s in my nature … and in learning so much from [head coach Alan Knipe] on how to be a leader, now I have the opportunity to be a leader on this team myself,” Siapanis said.
Siapanis has improved his game substantially in each season with The Beach, as his attack percentage improved from .264 in 2023 and .342 in 2024 to .401 in 2025.
Senior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis jumps to serve the ball to UCLA on Feb. 7 at the Walter Pyramid. Siapanis scored eight kills as The Beach beat UCLA 3-1. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
In LBSU’s runner-up 2024 season, Siapanis led the team in kills with 308 and has continued to flourish this season. A specific instance being the The Beach’s game against No. 18 Lewis University on Jan. 18 where he had 16 kills and a .517 attack percentage.
“The thing that probably gets lost with [Sotiris] is that he’s like a coach on the court in the sense of communicating with our guys,” Knipe said. “His volleyball IQ is really, really high.”
According to Siapanis, his team-first values as an athlete were instilled in him early on by his father, Ioannis Siapanis, who played professionally in Cyprus and started for the Cyprus national team for 10 years.
The second-generation volleyball star intends to follow in his father’s footsteps and emphasized how learning under a legendary coach in Knipe has greatly prepared him for his future.
“I’m very ready to go and compete for some very good teams in Europe right now, after everything I’ve learned from this school,” Siapanis said.
