2025 UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball team

2025 UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball
2025 UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball
Conference	Big West Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
Record	21–7 (6-4 Big West)
Head coach	David Kniffin (13th season);
Assistant coaches	Ron Larsen (2nd season); Michael Brinkley (2nd season); Marty Ross (1st season);
Home stadium	Bren Events Center ; Crawford Hall

The 2025 UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball team is the varsity intercollegiate volleyball program of the University of California, Irvine. The team's home venue is Bren Events Center located on campus in Irvine, California. They also play at Crawford Hall for smaller games. UCI has been a member of the Big West Conference since the 2017-18 season, when the league began sponsoring the sport.^[1] Despite finishing the regular season ranked 4th in the nation, 4th in RPI, 4th in KPI, and 1st in strength of schedule, UC Irvine did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. They end the season falling 1-3 against eventual conference tournament champion Hawai'i, and dropping to 5th in the nation having not played in the tournament.

2025 Big West Conference men's volleyball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 1 Long Beach State ‍†‍‍^y	8	–	2	.800	30	–	3	.909
No. 3 Hawai'i ‍‍‡‍^y	7	–	3	.700	27	–	6	.818
No. 5 ‍‍‍	6	–	4	.600	21	–	7	.750
No. 10 UC San Diego ‍‍‍	3	–	7	.300	18	–	12	.600
No. 17 UC Santa Barbara ‍‍‍	3	–	7	.300	12	–	16	.429
No. 9 CSUN ‍‍‍	3	–	7	.300	18	–	11	.621

† – Conference champion ‡ – 2025 Big West Tournament champion y- Invited to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament Rankings from AVCA

Previous Season

Last season, UC Irvine finished with a 20–11 record, going 7–3 in the Big West, and finishing second in the conference. They received an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA men's volleyball tournament, along with conference champion Long Beach State. The Anteaters took 5 sets and lost 3, falling to the eventual champion, the UCLA Bruins in the semifinals 2–3. UC Irvine finished the season ranked 4th in the nation.^[2]

Preseason

Preseason All-Big West Team

Source:^[3]

Both the preseason All-Big West team, and the Big West Coaches' Poll were released on December 19, 2024.

Player	No.	Position	Class
Preseason All-Big West Team
Maxim Grigoriev	23	Middle Blocker	Junior
Hilir Henno	20	Outside Hitter	Senior

Big West Coaches' Poll

Coaches' Poll
Pos.	Team	Points
1	Long Beach State	24 (4)
2	UC Irvine	21 (2)
3	Hawai'i	18
4	UC Santa Barbara	12
5	CSUN	8
6	UC San Diego	7

Roster

Source:^[4]

2025 UC Irvine Anteaters Roster^[5]

Libero/Defensive Specialists

1 Shane Atiken - RS Freshman

Setters

2 Micah Tumas - Freshman
12 Joe Karlous – Graduate Student
15 Cameron Kosty - Freshman (also listed as an opposite hitter)
22 Aidan Schulten - RS Sophomore
24 Aidan Rigg - RS Freshman

Middle Blockers

7 Micah Goss - Freshman
8 Lukas Winn – Freshman
10 Nicolas Restrepo – RS Freshman
11 Kobe Brown – RS Freshman
13 Beck Weber - RS Sophomore
19 Alec Apelian - Freshman
23 Maxim Grigoriev - Junior

Outside Hitters

6 Tim Ennis – Freshman
9 Nolan Flexen – Senior
16 Aidan Cuppett – Freshman
20 Hilir Henno - Senior

Opposite Hitters

5 William D'Arcy – Junior
14 Andon Kiriakou – Sophomore

Coaches

2025 UC Irvine Anteaters Coaching Staff
David Kniffin – head coach – 13th year Ron Larsen – assistant coach – 2nd year Michael Brinkley – assistant coach – 2nd year Marty Ross – assistant coach – 1st year

Schedule

Source:^[6]

Legend
	Anteaters win
	Anteaters loss
	Postponement
*	Non-Conference Game

2025 UC Irvine Anteaters Men's Volleyball Game Log (21-7)

Regular Season (20–6)

January (6–0)
Date	TV	Opponent	Rank	Stadium	Score	Sets	Attendance	Overall	BWC
UC Santa Barbara Invitational
January 9	-	vs. Menlo*	No. 3	The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, California	3-0	(25–14, 25–10, 25–21)	100	1–0	–
January 10	-	vs. Tusculum*	No. 3	The Thunderdome	3-0	(25–12, 25–14, 25–14)	221	2–0	—
January 11	-	vs. Missouri S&T*	No. 3	Sloan Park	3-0	(25–18, 25–21, 25–14)	157	3-0	—

January 22	ESPN+	No. 5 BYU*	No. 2	Bren Events Center Irvine, California	3-2	(25–17, 21–25, 25–23, 24–26, 15–12)	1,518	4-0	—
January 24	ESPN+	No. 5 BYU*	No. 2	Bren Events Center	3-0	(25–21, 25–12, 25–19)	2,823	5-0	—
January 31	ESPN+	at No. 9 Stanford*	No. 2	Burnham Pavilion Stanford, California	3-0	(25–19, 25–20, 25–23)	824	6-0	—

February (4–3)
Date	TV	Opponent	Rank	Stadium	Score	Sets	Attendance	Overall	BWC
February 1	ESPN+	at No. 9 Stanford*	No. 2	Burnham Pavilion Stanford, California	3-0	(25–23, 25–18, 33–31)	1,423	7-0	—
February 8	ESPN+	at Concordia Irvine*	No. 2	CU Arena Irvine, California	3-1	(28–26, 25–17, 26–28, 25–15)	273	8-0	—
February 12	ESPN+	No. 5 USC*	No. 2	Bren Events Center	3-2	(25–20, 26–28, 25–21, 18–25, 26–24)	2,199	9-0	—
February 14	ESPN+ & B1G+	at No. 5 USC*	No. 2	Galen Center Los Angeles, California	3-0	(25–18, 25–22, 25–21)	1,058	10-0	—
February 19	ESPN+	No. 3 UCLA*	No. 2	Bren Events Center	0-3	(22–25, 17–25, 23–25)	2,927	10-1	—
February 22	B1G+	at No. 3 UCLA*	No. 2	Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, California	2-3	(25–21, 21–25, 25–20, 14–25, 10–15)	2,512	10-2	—
February 28	ESPN+	at No. 4 Hawai'i	No. 3	Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawai'i	0-3	(21–25, 24–26, 22–25)	7,849	10-3	0–1

March (5–2)
Date	TV	Opponent	Rank	Stadium	Score	Sets	Attendance	Overall	BWC
March 2	ESPN+	at No. 4 Hawai'i	No. 3	Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawai'i	0-3	(22–25, 19–25, 20–25)	8,087	10-4	0–2
March 7	ESPN+	Pepperdine*	No. 4	Bren Events Center	3-0	(25–17, 25–21, 25–19)	1,380	11-4	—
March 8	ESPN+	Sacred Heart*	No. 4	Bren Events Center	3-0	(25–17, 25–16, 25–13)	632	12-4	—
March 21	ESPN+	Daemen*	No. 5	Recreation Athletic Complex Fairfax, Virginia	3-0	Martin (1–0)	0	13-4	—
March 22	ESPN+	George Mason*	No. 5	Recreation Athletic Complex Fairfax, Virginia	3-0	(25–21, 25–17, 25–18)	875	14-4	—
March 28	ESPN+	at No. 1 Long Beach State	No. 5	Walter Pyramid Long Beach, California	3-0	(27–25, 25–19, 25–19)	4,676	15-4	1–2
March 29	ESPN+	No. 1 Long Beach State	No. 5	Bren Events Center	0-3	(23–25, 19–25, 27–29)	4,758	15-5	1–3

April (5-1)
Date	TV	Opponent	Rank	Stadium	Score	Sets	Attendance	Overall	BWC
April 4	ESPN+	at No. 10 UC San Diego	No. 4	Lion Tree Arena La Jolla, California	1-3	(25-23, 17-25, 22-25, 22-25)	1,195	15-6	1-4
April 5	ESPN+	No. 10 UC San Diego	No. 4	Bren Events Center	3-0	(27-25, 25-21, 25-16)	1,581	16-6	2-4
April 10	ESPN+	at No. 18 UC Santa Barbara	No. 5	The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, California	3-2	(25-19, 17-25, 19-25, 30-28, 15-12	751	17-6	3-4
April 12	ESPN+	No. 18 UC Santa Barbara	No. 5	Bren Events Center	3-0	(25-19, 25-17, 25-17)	1,612	18-6	4-4
April 17	ESPN+	No. 9 CSUN	No. 4	Bren Events Center	3-0	(25-14, 25-16, 25-18)	1,843	19-6	5-4
April 19	ESPN+	at No. 9 CSUN	No. 4	The Matadome Northridge, California	3-2	(25-21, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13)	362	20-6	6-4

Postseason (1–1)

2025 Big West Conference men's Volleyball Tournament (1–1)^[7]
Date	TV	Opponent	Rank	Stadium	Score	Sets	Attendance	Record	Postseason Record
April 24	ESPN+	vs. No. 9 CSUN (6) First Round	No. 4 (3)	Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawai'i	3-2	(22-25, 25-18, 16-25, 25-23, 19-17)	4,649	21-6	1-0
April 25	ESPN+	vs. No. 3 Hawai'i (2) Semifinals	No. 4 (3)	Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawai'i	1-3	(21-25, 25-15, 21-25, 23-25)	7,209	21-7	1-1
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AVCA Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific.

Awards and honors

Regular Season

Source:^[8]

All-Big West Team
Honors	Player	Position	Date awarded
Offensive Player of the Week	Hilir Henno	Outside Hitter	January 13, 2025
Offensive Player of the Week	Nolan Flexen	Outside Hitter	January 27, 2025
Defensive Player of the Week & Freshman of the Week	Micah Goss	Middle Blocker	January 27, 2025
Setter of the Week	Joe Karlous	Outside Hitter	January 27, 2025
Offensive Player of the Week	Hilir Henno	Outside Hitter	February 3, 2025
Setter of the Week	Joe Karlous	Outside Hitter	February 3, 2025
Offensive Player of the Week	Nolan Flexen	Outside Hitter	February 17, 2025
Defensive Player of the Week	Maxim Grigoriev	Middle Blocker	February 17, 2025
Offensive Player of the Week	Hilir Henno	Outside Hitter	March 10, 2025
Offensive Player of the Week	Hilir Henno	Outside Hitter	March 24, 2025
Defensive Player of the Week	Shane Aitken	Libero	April 14, 2025

Postseason

AVCA All-Americans^[9]
Honors	Player	Position	Date awarded
First Team	Hilir Henno	Outside Hitter	May 05, 2025
Second Team	Nolan Flexen	Outside Hitter	May 05, 2025
Honorable Mention	Shane Aitken	Libero	May 05, 2025
Honorable Mention	William D'Arcy	Outside Hitter	May 05, 2025
Honorable Mention	Micah Goss	Middle Blocker	May 05, 2025
Honorable Mention	Maxim Grigoriev	Middle Blocker	May 05, 2025

All-Big West Team^[10]
Honors	Player	Position	Date awarded
First Team	Nolan Flexen	Outside Hitter	April 23, 2025
First Team	Maxim Grigoriev	Middle Blocker	April 23, 2025
First Team	Hilir Henno	Outside Hitter	April 23, 2025
Honorable Mention	William D'Arcy	Opposite Hitter	April 23, 2025

Big West All-Freshman Team
Honors	Player	Position	Date awarded
First Team	Micah Goss	Middle Blocker	April 23, 2025

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AVCA	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	3	4	4	5	5	4	5	4	4	4	5

References

^ vinnielopes (June 1, 2016). "Big West conference to add men's volleyball starting in 2018 - Off the Block". www.offtheblockblog.com. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
^ "Check out the latest polls for NCAA & high school volleyball". www.avca.org/. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
^ "Defending Champion Long Beach State Voted Men's Volleyball Preseason Favorites in the Powerhouse Big West". bigwest.org. December 19, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
^ "2025 Men's Volleyball Roster". UCI Athletics. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
^ "2025 Volleyball Roster". UCI Sports. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
^ https://ucirvinesports.com/sports/mens-volleyball/schedule
^ https://bigwest.org/tournaments/?id=126
^ "Athlete Awards". Big West Conference. April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
^ "2025 AVCA National Collegiate Men's All-America Teams". AVCA. May 5, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
^ "2025 All-Big West Men's Volleyball Team Announced". Big West Conference. April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2025.

[1] vinnielopes (June 1, 2016). "Big West conference to add men's volleyball starting in 2018 - Off the Block". www.offtheblockblog.com. Retrieved April 3, 2025.

[2] "Check out the latest polls for NCAA & high school volleyball". www.avca.org/. Retrieved April 3, 2025.

[3] "Defending Champion Long Beach State Voted Men's Volleyball Preseason Favorites in the Powerhouse Big West". bigwest.org. December 19, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2025.

[4] "2025 Men's Volleyball Roster". UCI Athletics. Retrieved April 4, 2025.

[5] "2025 Volleyball Roster". UCI Sports. Retrieved April 3, 2025.

[6] ttps://ucirvinesports.com/sports/mens-volleyball/schedule

[7] ttps://bigwest.org/tournaments/?id=126

[8] "Athlete Awards". Big West Conference. April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2025.

[9] "2025 AVCA National Collegiate Men's All-America Teams". AVCA. May 5, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.

[10] "2025 All-Big West Men's Volleyball Team Announced". Big West Conference. April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2025.

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