Lengthy Seashore State setter Simeon ‘Moni’ Nikolov is the fastest-rising star in faculty volleyball this season— if not the largest star, interval. The true freshman just lately broke the document for quickest serve in NCAA historical past and it appears like an absolute nightmare to attempt to obtain.
To make it even cooler, he broke his personal document from earlier this yr by 4 miles per hour!
Nikolov is probably going going to be named because the Freshman of the Yr in faculty volleyball. It will be stunning if he doesn’t win the award. The Bulgaria-native joined the Lengthy Seashore program in the course of the offseason as one of many largest phenoms within the sport on a world stage and continues to dwell as much as the hype. His father performed professionally till 2016. His older brother performs for the Bulgarian Nationwide Staff as a former AVCA Nationwide Participant of the Yr on the similar college.
Moni Nikolov is a beast!
There’s a excessive likelihood that Nikolov will flip professional after this season as a one-and-done faculty athlete with golf equipment from Russia, Italy and Poland already displaying curiosity. We should recognize his greatness whereas he’s right here. I’ve by no means seen a extra dominant 18-year-old!
Lengthy Seashore State at the moment ranks as one of many top-three groups within the nation. Moni Nikolov is an enormous motive why. He has a natural-born capability to see the court docket as a distributor, will get up above the block as a hitter when known as upon, and offers an enormous increase to the entrance row on protection at 6-foot-8.
Most setters usually are not sometimes as athletic when it comes to their all-around abilities however Nikolov is the whole package deal in all 5 aspects of the sport: go, set, serve, hit and block. His largest weapon is his serve.
Nikolov broke the NCAA document for quickest in-game serve in opposition to Lewis final month at 80 miles per hour.
He bested his personal document on the Walter Pyramid in opposition to Vanguard final week. Moni Nikolov hit 84 miles per hour on the gun!
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Right here’s one other angle:
Regardless that the protection picked up Nikolov’s serve with an especially spectacular obtain, the sheer pace behind his swing can’t be understated. The quickest serve in volleyball historical past — on any stage — was clocked at 86 miles per hour. Lengthy Seashore State’s 18-year-old freshman is already proper there.
