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There will be plenty of stars on the court for the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
Check out the 40 players to know for both semifinal matches on Saturday.
Matthew Aziz, UCLA libero
Aziz is among the team leaders with a 1.04 digs per game average. The libero also had a season-high eight digs against Grand Canyon in April and had three digs against Belmont Abbey in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Ryan Barnett, Pepperdine outside attacker
Accolades this season:: First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF
Barnett is in the nation’s top 25 with a 3.67 kills per game average and a .337 attack percentage. The outside attacker also has a combined 74 kills in four postseason matches, including a team-high 17 kills against Loyola in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Georgi Binev, Long Beach State opposite
Binev primarily coming off the bench as a serving specialist this season has seven aces, including an ace in the Big West Tournament finals.
Connor Bloom, Long Beach State outside attacker
Bloom primarily coming off the bench as a serving specialist this season has 10 aces and 18 service errors
Ben Braun, Long Beach State middle attacker
Braun was inserted into the starting lineup during the second half of the season and has a 1.28 blocks per game average. The middle attacker also has a career-best .569 attack percentage and has hit at least .500 in five of the last six matches.
Eleu Choy, Hawai’i libero
Accolades this season: All-American Honorable Mention, All-Big West Honorable Mention
Choy is in the top five of the Big West with a 1.68 digs per game average. The libero also leads Hawai’i with 707 receptions and has a successful passing rating of 94.3 percent.
Kahale Clini, UCLA outside attacker
Clini primarily coming off the bench as a serving specialist this season has 14 aces and 35 service errors.
Luca Curci, UCLA outside attacker
Curci is second on the team with 481 receptions and has a 92.9 percent successful passing rating.
Ido David, UCLA opposite
David playing through injuries this season has come off the bench as a serving specialist in the last four matches. David was a First-Team All-American in 2023 and had 21 kills against Hawai’i in the NCAA Tournament finals.
Nato Dickinson, Long Beach State opposite
Dickinson had a season-high 21 kills on a .485 attack percentage against Hawai’i in the Big West Tournament finals. The opposite also has double-digit kills and more than .400 attack percentage in three of the last five matches.
Gabe Dyer, Pepperdine setter
Accolades this season: All-MPSF Honorable Mention, All-American Honorable Mention
Dyer has guided the Pepperdine offense to the eighth-best attack percentage in the nation at .326. The setter also is in the top 10 of the MPSF with a 1.71 digs per game average.
George Dyer, Pepperdine outside attacker
Dyer is third on the team with 214 service receptions and has a 96.3 percent successful passing rating. Dyer, though, has been sidelined since early April.
James Eadie, Pepperdine middle attacker
Accolades this season: All-American Honorable Mention
Eadie leads the Waves and is in the top 10 of the MPSF with a 0.96 blocks per game average. The middle attacker also had three blocks against Loyola in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Cole Hartke, Pepperdine opposite
Accolades this season: Second-Team All-American, MPSF Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-MPSF, MPSF all-Freshman Team
Hartke is in the nation’s top 25 averaging both 3.60 kills per game and 0.47 aces per game. The opposite had multiple aces in three consecutive postseason matches highlighted with three aces against Loyola in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Ilay Haver, Pepperdine outside attacker
Haver had six kills and zero errors on a .462 attack percentage against Loyola in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, including two kills to fight off Loyola game-points in its second-game comeback win. The outside attacker also had a solo block in the second-game overtime and contributed two aces.
Daniil Hershtynovich, Long Beach State opposite
Accolades this season: All-American Honorable Mention, All-Big West Honorable Mention
Hershtynovich leads Long each State is fourth in the Big West with a 3.18 kills per game average on a .354 attack percentage. The freshman, though, has been sidelined for the last five matches.
Alex Kandev, Long Beach State outside attacker
Accolades this season: First-Team All-Big West, Big West All-Freshman Team
Kandev was inserted into the starting lineup during the second half of the season and had double-digit kills in eight conference matches. The Bulgarian outside attacker also entered the NCAA Tournament with a .470 attack percentage.
Finn Kearney, Hawai’i opposite
Kearney has double-digit kills in every match since being inserted in the starting lineup in April. The freshman also had 14 kills against Long Beach State in the Big West Tournament finals.
Sean Kelly, UCLA outside attacker
Accolades this season: All-MPSF Honorable Mention, MPSF All-Freshman Team
Kelly was inserted into the starting lineup during the second half of the season and has double-digit ills in eight matches. In addition, Kelly had 12 kills on a .421 attack percentage against Pepperdine in the MPSF Tournament semifinals.
Kellen Larson, Long Beach State libero
Accolades this season: All-American Honorable Mention
Larson leads the Beach with 518 receptions and has a 96.1 percent successful passing rating. The libero also has at least five digs in seven of the last 10 matches.
Sean McQuiggan, UCLA middle attacker
McQuiggan is among the team leaders with a 0.92 blocks per game average, including five blocks against Belmont Abbey in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
DiAeris McRaven, Long Beach State middle attacker
Accolades this season: Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West
McRaven leads Long Beach State and is third in the Big West with a 0.96 blocks per game average. The senior also has a career-high .466 attack percentage, including hitting more than .450 each of the last five matches entering the NCAA Tournament.
Moni Nikolov, Long Beach State setter
Accolades this season: AVCA National Player of the Year, National Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-American, Big West Player of the Year, Big West Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-Big West, Big West All-Freshman Team
Nikolov set the NCAA single-season record during the 25-point rally scoring era with 97 aces. The freshman from Bulgaria also guided the Beach to a nation-best .395 attack percentage.
Zach Rama, UCLA outside attacker
Accolades this season: Second-Team All-American
Rama is in the top 10 of the MPSF with both a 3.24 kills per game average and a .327 attack percentage. The pin-hitter also has double-digit kills in nine consecutive matches, including 13 kills on a .476 attack percentage against Belmont Abbey in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Brendan Read, Pepperdine outside attacker
Read came off the bench and had an ace against Loyola in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. The serving specialist has 13 aces and 17 service receptions this season.
Jacob Reilly, Pepperdine libero
Accolades this season: Second-Team All-American, Second-Team All-MPSF
Reilly is in the top 10 of the MPSF with a 1.79 digs per game average and had 12 digs against USC in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals. The libero leads the team with 595 service receptions and has a 95.8 percent successful passing rating.
Cooper Robinson, UCLA opposite
Accolades this season: First-Team All-American, MPSF Player of the Year, First-Team All-MPSF
Robinson is in the nation’s top 25 with a 3.57 kills per game average and a .387 attack percentage, including having a season-high 25 kills on a.537 attack percentage in a victory against USC in April. The opposite also is in the conference’s top five with a 0.39 aces per game average.
Tread Rosenthal, Hawai’i setter
Accolades this season: First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West
Rosenthal is third in the nation with a 10.65 assists per game average and helped guide the offense to the sixth-best attack percentage in the nation at .339. The setter also leads Hawai’i and is in the top 10 of the Big West with a 0.33 aces per game average.
Adrien Roure, Hawai’i outside attacker
Accolades this season: First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West, Big West All-Freshman Team
Roure is in the top five of the Big West with both a 3.07 kills per game average and a .341 attack percentage. The pin-hitter from France has double-digit kills in four consecutive matches, including 11 kills and zero errors on a .579 attack percentage in the Big West Tournament finals against Long Beach State.
Andrew Rowan, UCLA setter
Accolades this season: First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF
Rowan is among the national leaders with a 10.09 assists per game average and guided the UCLA offense to the nation’s second-best attack percentage at .369. The setter also is in the top 10 of the MPSF with a 0.34 aces per game average.
Louis Sakanoko, Hawai’i outside attacker
Sakanoko is among the team leaders with a 2.46 and has double-digit kills in 10 matches. The French pin-hitter also had a season-high seven blocks as Hawai’i defeated UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament semifinals.
Kai Taylor, Hawai’i outside attacker
Taylor has primarily come off the bench as a serving specialist this season and had two aces against UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament semifinals.
Cameron Thorne, UCLA middle attacker
Accolades this season: First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF
Thorne is in the nation’s top 15 with a 1.09 blocks per game average. The middle attacker also is hitting .526 and has double-digit kills in six matches.
Kristian Titriyski, Hawai’i opposite
Accolades this season: Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West, Big West All-Freshman Team
Titriyski was among the national leaders with a 4.24 kills per game average before being sidelined for the last seven matches. The Bulgarian freshman also had at least 15 kills in 13 matches, including 19 kills on a .571 attack percentage in a sweep against UC Irvine in March.
Justin Tood, Hawai’i middle attacker
Todd leads Hawai’i with a .529 attack percentage and had eight kills and zero errors on an .800 attack percentage against Penn State in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. The middle attacker also is averaging 0.90 blocks per game highlighted with 14 blocks in three postseason matches.
Aidan Tune, Pepperdine serving specialist
Tune primarily coming off the bench this year as a serving specialist has seven aces and 11 service errors. The outside attacker also added a dig against Loyola in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Kainoa Wade, Hawai’i opposite
Wade primarily coming off the bench as a serving specialist this season has nine aces and 18 service errors.
Ethan Watson, Pepperdine middle attacker
Watson had seven kills and zero errors on a .700 attack percentage against Loyola in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. The middle attacker also had four blocks in the victory.
Skyler Varga, Long Beach State outside attacker
Accolades this season: First-Team All-American,
Varga is in the nation’s top 15 with a .369 attack percentage and is among the conference leaders averaging 2.76 kills per game. The outside attacker also is second on the team with 457 receptions and has 96.9 percent successful passing rating.