Outside attacker Skyler Varga has another accolades in his college career.
Off the Block announced Monday that a nationwide voting committee selected Varga as the recipient of the 2026 Nicolas Szerszen Award.
The Nicolas Szerszen Award is presented to the best non-U.S. born player in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The annual award is named after the former Ohio State All-American outside attacker who led the Buckeyes to back-to-back NCAA championships.
This is the only national award in college men’s volleyball recognizing the outstanding individual performances of international players who are pursuing their volleyball career and higher education in the United States.
Varga led the Big West and was in the nation’s top 15 with a 0.47 aces per game average. The outside attacker from Canada also was among the national leaders with both a 3.20 kills per game average and a .320 attack percentage as Long Beach State reached the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
The voting committee for the Nicolas Szerszen Award was comprised of coaches and media members from around the nation. The top three vote-getters were named finalists for this national honor.
Varga, a finalist for the award last season, received 21 votes to edge out the runner-up UC Irvine outside attacker Andrej Jokanovic by eight votes. Hawai’i outside attacker Louis Sakanoko finished in third place with 12 votes.
This is the 10th year that Off the Block has presented the Nicolas Szerszen Award.
Off the Block is a national award winning website that launched in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.
2026 Nicolas Szerszen Award voting results
1. Skyler Varga, Long Beach State – 21 votes
2. Andrej Jokanovic, UC Irvine – 13 votes
3. Louis Sakanoko, Hawai’i – 12 votes
4. Lucas Machado, Ball State – 5 votes
T-5. Kristian Titriyski, Hawai’i – 4 votes
T-5. Wojciech Gajek, Long Beach State – 4 votes
7. Andrej Polomac, Pepperdine – 2 votes
T-8. Adrien Roure, Hawai’i – 1 vote
T-8. Kyran Versteegen, St. Thomas Aquinas – 1 vote