Games 1 + 2
Lindenwood (0-0, 0-0 MIVA)
at  #3 Long Beach State (0-0, 0-0 Big West) | Vanguard (0-0, 0-0 MPSF)
Game Information:
Dates: Friday, January 9, 2026 | Saturday, January 10, 2026
Location: Long Beach, CA | Costa Mesa, CA.
Venue: LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid | Freed Center for Leadership
First Serve: 9:00 PM CT | 4:00 PM CT
All-Time Series: 0-5 | N/A
Last Meeting: L, 0-3 | N/A
Live Stats: Lindenwood @ Vanguard
Watch: ESPN+ | BIG+

Season Preview
The Lindenwood Men's Volleyball team opens their 2026 campaign on the road when they take on Long Beach State and Vangaurd on Friday and Saturday this weekend. The Lions are coming off of a 10-15 season in 2025 and fell in the first round of the MIVA Tournament to Ohio State 3-1. Lindenwood returns their leading kills and points leader from a season ago in Senior Outside Hitter Brendan Louthain, who compiled 287 kills across 93 sets played for an average of 3.51 kills per set and finished the 2025 campaign with 326.5 points. Senior Setter Zach Solomon also returns for the 2026 season, who led the Lions in total assists in 2025 with 878 assists and was first on the 2025 squad in service aces with 36.

LU brings back 12 players from last season and welcomes six newcomers, including two time First Team All-IVA Selection Luke Kraft. Kraft played the last two seasons at Maryville University where he finished top 3 in the country for aces per set, compiled 613 kills, and ranked second on the team in aces (28) and digs (151) in the 2024 season during his time with the Louies. Gabriel Vieira is another notable newcomer who comes from St. Thomas Aquinas where he registered 339 kills during the 2025 season for an average of 4.40 kills per set and was named the East Coast Conference Men's Volleyball Player of the Week on both February 17th and 24th. 

The 2026 squad was projected to finish in sixth place in the preseason MIVA polls on December 15 and will look to overcome those odds once the regular season begins. 

Scouting Long Beach State 
Long Beach State is coming off of a 30 win season in 2025 in which they won the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship with a 3-0 sweep over UCLA on May 12. The Beach have won three National Championships in the last seven seasons and they return the 2025 AVCA First Team All-American and All-Conference Opposite Hitter Skyler Varga. Varga led the Beach in kills last season with 270 kills across 99 sets played for an average of 3.44 kills per set. He also ranked fourth on the team in blocks with 70 and was second on the 2025 squad in service aces with 33. Long Beach State also returns Opposite Hitter Daniil Hershtynovich and Outside Hitter Alex Kandev who each had 200 or more kills a season ago and finished second and third on the 2025 squad in kills. The Beach enter the 2026 season ranked third in the country. 

Lindenwood is currently 0-5 all time against the Beach with their most recent match taking place last season in Hyland Arena where the Lions were swept 3-0, but LU lost all three sets by close margins by scores of 23-25, 22-25, and 21-25. Brendan Louthain finished that match tied for the team lead in kills with 11 on a .368 hitting percentage while  Zach Solomon finished with a match-high 33 assists. 

Scouting Vanguard
Vanguard finished the 2025 season 8-18 overall in their first year of Division I Men's Volleyball. They were defeated in the first round of the MPSF Tournament by CUI 3 sets to 1, but they return their top kills leader and digs leader from a season ago in Opposite Hitter Logan Freemon. Freemon registered 240 kills and 122 digs in 95 sets played last season as a true Freshman. Meanwhile, Vanguard also returns their number two kills leader from a season ago in Middle Blocker Micah Sybesma, who finished the 2025 campaign with 219 kills across 96 sets and hit .428 on the season.

Former Vanguard Middle Blocker and current Lindenwood Lion Nick Dvorak played his Freshman season at Vanguard in 2025 and will return to his old stomping grounds on Saturday as a member of the Lions. Dvorak hit .368 last season at Vanguard and recorded 127 kills in 89 sets played. Lindenwood and Vanguard will meet for the first time in their all-time series on Saturday.

Up Next
Lindenwood returns to St. Charles for their home opener in Hyland Arena which is set for Friday, January 16 at 7 p.m. CT