By Madison Yang
Watch a Long Beach State men’s volleyball game for five minutes and you will notice that Canadian redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga is always the most animated presence after each point the team scores; he is the first to initiate a quick team huddle, rallying his teammates with shouts, chants and a vibrantly contagious energy.
Elevating team morale with intensity defines the Canadian who now anchors the top-ranked team in the nation.
Varga grew up in Muenster, Canada, a village of about 450 people. He played almost every sport just so their town would have enough people to create teams and conduct games.
In 2022, Varga transferred to The Beach from the University of Saskatchewan and quickly rose as a preeminent player across the board.
“Before coming to America, I didn’t even know anything about NCAA volleyball. I didn’t know Long Beach existed, I didn’t know all these teams existed, and how big of a stage it could actually get to,” Varga said. “I’m grateful that I can be given this opportunity, especially coming from such a small town.”
Though he played many sports growing up, Varga committed to volleyball during the COVID-19 pandemic, knowing he would need to travel to pursue volleyball at a high level.
Redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga dives to the ball after a UC Santa Barbara kill on April 4 at the Walter Pyramid. Varga’s four kills helped Long Beach State beat UCSB 3-0. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
That decision led to a gold medal with Team Saskatchewan at the 2022 Canada Games and a silver medal with Team Canada at the U23 Bicentennial Independence Cup in Rio.
Playing for his national team and in matches across the globe not only sharpened his ability to handle higher competition, but it also invigorated his passion for the sport.
“He’s been out in the world of volleyball and seen something bigger than college volleyball, so he really knows where he wants to be,” LBSU head coach Alan Knipe said. “It’s not going to shock me at all when you see Sky representing Canada in the Olympics.”
Varga’s first year at The Beach was cut short by a knee surgery, but he returned the following season to be the team leader in aces per set and earn Honorable Mention All-America and All-Conference honors.
Amid LBSU’s historic season this year, Varga has already achieved the most kills of his career with 235 and sits 14th in the nation in attack percentage at .387.
Varga is, as described by Knipe, a “five-tool volleyball player” whose versatile abilities on the court make him a threat at every position he is in.
“There’s nothing on the court that Sky doesn’t do to help us score points, so as a coach, you’re very fortunate,” Knipe said. “Those are rare to get.”
Despite his standout statistics, Varga puts the team’s success above all else.
Redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga goes up for a kill against two UC Irvine defenders at the Walter Pyramid on March 28. Although Varga scored a game-high 13 kills, UCI beat Long Beach State 3-0 as and LBSU lost its first game of the season. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
This season, he admitted he has not been tracking his own numbers; instead, he is fully locked in on the flow of each game and what the team needs in each moment.
“If I go and kill 20 balls versus two balls, it doesn’t really matter as long as I help the team get the win,” Varga said. “That’s all that matters for me.”
Varga’s impact as an athlete goes beyond his on-court performance– competing alongside elite players showed him how much his attitude influences those around him.
That awareness, shaped by the contrast between playing casually in Muenster and professionally with Team Canada, now fuels the dynamic spark he brings to every LBSU game.
“I just immediately sprung into the role of like, I’m gonna get fired up, and I’m happy that I get to play with people who are just as skilled as me,” Varga said. “It brought me a lot of energy and I think that’s carried over throughout the years.”
With deep reverence for both volleyball and his team, the LBSU team captain represents what it means to be an inspiring athlete.
Varga leads by example, Knipe said, showing his teammates the ways a top competitor must take care of his own health, training and education through his own daily practices.
“He’s incredible, he’s our captain– he’s, in a lot of ways, our leader,” Knipe said. “As good of a volleyball player he is, he’s an even better human and teammate.”
