By Long Beach State men’s volleyball made big news this past week as the team won players of the week in all three categories for the third time this season.
Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov and sophomore libero Mason Briggs were both recipients of the Big West players of the week.
Alex Nikolov
Freshman Outside Hitter Alex Nikolov looking to make a kill against Hawai’i Photo credit: Ignacio Cervantes
Nikolov won awards in two categories this week as the freshman from Bulgaria was announced as the Big West Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman Player of the Week.
This past week Nikolov performed strongly for The Beach as they played against Big West opponent No. 4 Hawaii.
In The Beach’s first match against Hawaii on April 1, Nikolov had a total of 23 kills, five assists, and five digs. His hitting average ended with .333 on Friday night.
In the team’s second game against Hawaii, Nikolov found himself playing a big part in Long Beach’s victory he recorded a double-double that featured 18 kills and 12 digs. Nikolov would finish the night with a hitting average of .484.
This is Nikolov’s second offensive player of the week award and his sixth freshman player of the week award in The Big West making him a strong candidate for conference freshman player of the year.
Mason Briggs
Mason celebrating with his teammates just after the team scored Photo credit: LBSU Athletics John Fajardo
Briggs would also find himself winning weekly honors beside Nikolov as he was announced as Defensive player of the week.
Over the weekend, Briggs found himself shining in The Beach’s series against Hawaii. Briggs had a defensive showcase this past weekend as the sophomore from Valencia, California averaged 4.12 digs per set with a total of 33 digs.
On Friday, the sophomore standout had a total of 17 digs and 28 errorless receptions against the Rainbow Warriors.
The next day in The Beach’s four-set victory over Hawaii, he found himself having a total of 16 digs and a career-high of seven assists.
This is the 10th time this year Briggs has averaged double-digit digs as the last time he did this was last week against UC Santa Barbara, a week in which he was again announced as Big West defensive player of the week.
The Beach is currently ranked No.2 in the nation right now and is set to face UC San Diego at the Walter Pyramid on Friday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m.
