Long Beach State Sweeps Big West Conference Weekly Awards

LONG BEACH – Hours after the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team claimed the No. 1 ranking in the country, the Beach swept the Big West Conference Weekly Awards. Josh Tuaniga took home Player of the Week, while Nick Amado was named Defensive Player of the Week, and Simon Anderson garnered Freshman of the Week for the second week in a row.

Tuaniga, a junior setter, earned the honors after running a Long Beach State offense that hit .417 last week and collected a pair of sweeps over No. 11 Lewis and No. 7 Loyola Chicago. Tuaniga dished out 61 assists on the week for an average of 10.17 helpers per set, and also contributed offensively with six kills on 10 attempts without committing an error for a .600 hitting percentage. He finished the week with 13 digs (2.17 per set), six blocks (1.00 per set), and two service aces (0.33 per set).

Amado, a senior middle blocker, led the Beach at the net last week as he recorded a career-high seven blocks at Lewis, then followed that performance with another three blocks at Loyola to total a team-best 10 blocks for an average of 1.67 per set. Additionally, Amado knocked down 12 kills for a 2.00 kills per set average, while hitting .375 (12-3-24). With Amado at the net, Long Beach State averaged an impressive 3.33 blocks per set last week.

Anderson picked up his second consecutive Freshman of the Week honor after recording another solid week for the Beach. The middle blocker from Middlefart, Denmark knocked down 13 kills and committed just one miscue to hit .800 (13-1-15). In addition to his offensive prowess on the court, Anderson also contributed defensively as well, posting seven blocks to average 1.17 per set. He finished the week with three service aces (0.50 per set), and a pair of digs.

The Beach moved into the No. 1 spot in the AVCA Division I-II Men’s Coaches Top-15 Poll after opening the 2018 season with a 6-0 record, marking Long Beach State’s best start since 2008 when LBSU kicked off the year with a 9-0 ledger.