All three Big West postseason-bound teams took home a major award, as voted on by the league’s six head coaches at the conclusion of The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2026 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship.
Following a thrilling postseason that culminated with Long Beach State capturing the title after a five-set thriller on Saturday at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., first-year head coach and alumnus of the Beach Nick MacRae has taken home Coach of the Year. Following in the footsteps of mentor and storied head coach Alan Knipe who was a three-time Big West Coach of the Year since the conference began sponsoring the sport in 2018.
Long Beach State enters the 2026 National Collegiate Championship bracket as the No. 3 seed and hosting a regional in the expanded 12-team bracket with a 24-4 record as The Big West Champion and defending National Collegiate champion.
Big West Player of the Year honors have been bestowed on Hawai’i senior setter Tread Rosenthal. Rosenthal’s award marks the fifth year in nine that a UH player has taken top honors. Both Rado Parapunov (2020, ’21) and Jakob Thelle (2022, ’23) earned distinction twice.
Rosenthal leads The Big West with 10.63 assists per set and orchestrates one of the most dynamic and efficient offenses in the nation. A steady presence throughout the season, Rosenthal powered the Rainbow Warriors with high-level decision-making and versatility. The junior from Austin, Texas, also provides 1.46 digs per set with 90.0 total blocks on the season (0.86 per set) with 93 kills (0.89 per set) and 35 service aces for UH. Winning Big West Setter of the Week 11 times in 2026 and 16 in the last two seasons since the award was started, Rosenthal is a semifinalist for AVCA National Player of the Year.
The ’Bows open national postseason play at home as the No. 2 seed in the brackets and also hosting a regional playing in the regional final this weekend for a chance to advance to the national semifinal round. Should the seeds hold, UH and LBSU are set up for a fourth rematch of the year in the season’s penultimate match.
Earning Big West Freshman of the Year honors is UC Irvine’s Andre Jokanovic, whose immediate impact helped solidify the Anteaters as a contender throughout the season, and guided the squad to an at-large bid in the national postseason brackets. Jokanovic emerged as one of the conference’s most polished newcomers, demonstrating poise beyond his years while contributing across multiple phases of the match. Offensively, the first-year outside hitter from Cannes, France, provided a team-best 3.45 kills and 4.16 points per set with an impressive 47 aces on the season all good for top four figures in The Big West this season. The all-around skillset quickly made Jokanovic a centerpiece for UC Irvine and a player to watch for years to come.
Together, Rosenthal, Jokanovic and MacRae represent the excellence and competitive depth on the three teams that defined The Big West men’s volleyball season, showcasing a blend of elite experience, emerging talent, and impactful leadership across the league. All three can be seen on ESPN+ on May 1 and 2 in the regional rounds as they compete to advance to the Final Four May 9 and 11 at UCLA.