Follow
A nationwide voting committee has determined the best college men’s volleyball players from the last 10 years.
Off the Block announced on Tuesday the 30 players selected to the Off the Block All-Decade Team.
The 15-person voting committee for this national honor was comprised of head coaches and volleyball media members from throughout the country.
The All-Decade award is made up of three teams with the top 10 vote-getters being first-team selections. The next top 10 vote-getters made the Second-Team All-Decade, while the following top 10 vote-getters garnered Third-Team All-Decade accolades.
Players eligible for the All-Decade Team must have been on the active roster of a NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team for at least one season since 2010.
This is the only college men’s volleyball national All-Decade Team presented by a volleyball organization or media outlet. Along with the All-Decade Team, Off the Block coordinated and presented earlier this month the EIVA All-Decade Team, the ConfCarolinas All-Decade Team and the MIVA All-Decade Team.
Off the Block also will present the National Player of the Decade, National Coach of the Decade, National Team of the Decade and National Program of the Decade.
Off the Block is a national award winning website that was established in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.
First-Team All-Decade
Setter: Micah Christenson, USC
Setter: Micah Ma’a, UCLA
Setter: Josh Tuaniga, Long Beach State
Outside attacker: TJ DeFalco, Long Beach State
Outside attacker: Thomas Jaeschke, Loyola
Outside attacker: Aaron Russell, Penn State
Outside attacker: Taylor Sander, BYU
Outside attacker: Nicolas Szerszen, Ohio State
Middle attacker: Jeff Jendryk, Loyola
Libero: Erik Shoji, Stanford
Second-Team All-Decade
Opposite: Carson Clark, UC Irvine
Opposite: Kyle Ensing, Long Beach State
Opposite: Ben Patch, BYU
Outside attacker: Taylor Crabb, Long Beach State
Outside attacker: Kevin Tillie, UC Irvine
Outside attacker: Stijn van Tilburg, Hawai’i
Outside attacker: David Wieczorek, Pepperdine
Middle attacker: Daenan Gyimah, UCLA
Middle attacker: Futi Tavana, BYU
Libero: Michael Brinkley, UC Irvine
Third-Team All-Decade
Setter: BJ Boldog, Lewis
Setter: Matt West, Pepperdine
Opposite: Shawn Sangrey, Ohio State
Outside attacker: Tony Ciarelli, USC
Outside attacker: Ryan Coenen, Lewis
Outside attacker: Brad Lawson, Stanford
Outside attacker: Geoff Powell, Lewis
Middle attacker: Taylor Averill, Hawai’i
Middle attacker: Bobby Walsh, Lewis
Libero: Evan Enriques, Stanford
Off the Block First-Team All-Decade Team player bios
Micah Christenson, USC (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2012 National Newcomer of the Year, 2012 MPSF Freshman of the Year, 2012 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2012 Second-Team All-American, 2013 National Server of the Year finalist, 2013 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2014 Lloy Ball Award, 2014 First-Team All-American, 2014 First-Team All-MPSF, 2015 Co-Lloy Ball Award winner, 2015 First-Team All-American, 2015 First-Team All-MPSF
Player bio: The starting setter for the U.S. Men’s National Team got his start with four outstanding years at USC. He led USC in both assists and kills in three of his four seasons at USC. In a match versus CSUN during his senior season, Christenson quarterbacked USC to a .543 attack percentage – the highest in program history during the rally-scoring era. Christenson finished his career with 4,105 assists, good for a 10.58 assists per game average.
TJ DeFalco, Long Beach State (2016-19)
Awards and honors: 2016 Freshman All-American, 2016 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2016 MPSF Freshman of the Year, 2016 All-MPSF First Team, 2016 AVCA Newcomer of the Year, 2016 All-American First Team, 2017 Karch Kiraly Award, 2017 All-MPSF First Team, 2017 MPSF Player of the Year, 2017 All-American First Team, 2017 National Player of the Year, 2018 Karch Kiraly Award, 2018 All-Big West First Team, 2018 Big West Player of the Year, 2018 All-NCAA Tournament Team, 2018 All-American First Team, 2019 Karch Kiraly Award, 2019 All-Big West First Team, 2019 All-NCAA Tournament Team, 2019 All-American First Team, 2019 National Player of the Year, 2019 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Player bio: DeFalco finished his decorated Long Beach State career with 1,661 kills, good for fifth in program history. His 183 career aces and 0.46 aces per game average are best in program history. He led the team in aces per game, kills per game, and attack percentage in all four seasons. As a freshman, he led the team with 2.02 digs per game, leading the Beach to rank second in the nation in digs per game. He ranked in top five in the nation in aces per game twice, top ten in attack percentage twice, and top ten in kills per game twice. Long Beach State never ranked outside of the top four nationally in kills per game in any of DeFalco’s four seasons. He holds two of the three best individual seasons in terms of aces, including 57 in 2019 which helped propel the Beach to lead the nation.
Thomas Jaeschke, Loyola (2013-15)
Awards and honors: 2013 First-Team All-MIVA, 2013 MIVA All-Tournament Team, 2014 First-Team All-American, 2014 MIVA Player of the Year, 2014 First-Team All-MIVA, 2014 NCAA All-Tournament Team, 2015 National Player of the Year, 2015 First-Team All-American, 2015 Off the Block National Server of the Year, 2015 Karch Kiraly Award finalist, 2015 MIVA Player of the Year, 2015 First-Team All-MIVA, 2015 MIVA Tournament Most Valuable Player, 2015 NCAA All-Tournament Team, 2015 MIVA All-Tournament Team
Player bio: Jaeschke as a junior — his final year at Loyola before declaring pro — finished fifth in the nation with a career-best 4.04 kills per game average and led the country with a 0.57 aces per game average. In addition, the outside attacker had both a team-high 20 kills and three aces in Loyola’s five-game overtime victory against Lewis in the NCAA Tournament finals. Jaeschke in 2014 was in the nation’s top 20 with both a 3.73 kills per game average and a career-best .397 attack percentage as Loyola won its first national title in program history. The outside attacker also concluded his three-year career seventh in program history with a .371 attack percentage.
Jeff Jendryk, Loyola (2015-18)
Awards and honors: 2015 National Newcomer of the Year, 2015 Freshman All-American, 2015 Second-Team All-MIVA, 2015 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 2015 NCAA All-Tournament Team, 2016 Second-Team All-American, 2016 Ryan Millar Award finalists, 2016 First-Team All-MIVA, 2017 First-Team All-American, 2017 Ryan Millar Award finalist, 2017 Off the Block National Blocker of the Year finalist, 2017 First-Team All-MIVA, 2018 First-Team All-American, 2018 Ryan Millar Award finalist, 2018 First-Team All-MIVA
Player bio: Jendryk finished each of his final three seasons in the nation’s top five for attack percentage and remains second in program history with a .449 career attack percentage. As a freshman, Jendryk had a season-high 17 kills while hitting .500 in a five-game victory against Lewis in the 2015 NCAA Tournament finals. Jendryk during his senior season was second in the nation with a .457 attack percentage and had double-digit kills in 10 matches. The future U.S. Men’s National Team middle attacker also was third in program history with 424 career blocks, including being seventh in the nation with a 1.16 blocks per game average in 2017.
Micah Ma’a, UCLA (2016-19)
Awards and honors: 2016 National Server of the Year, 2016 First-Team All-American, 2016 Freshman All-American, 2016 First-Team All-MPSF, 2017 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2018 Lloy Ball Award finalist, 2018 First-Team All-American, 2018 First-Team All-MPSF, 2019 Co-National Server of the Year, 2019 First-Team All-American, 2019 First-Team All-MPSF
Player bio: Ma’a ranks tops in program history with 208 career aces, second in program history (rally-scoring era) with 3,427 career assists, and fourth in program history (rally-scoring era) with 728 career aces. Ma’a might be ranked tops in program history for assists if he did not spend a significant part of his career in a 6-2 offense, and a good amount of 2019 as an outside hitter. Ma’a owns the top three single-season marks for most aces in a season, including 67 in 2019.
Aaron Russell, Penn State (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2012 First-Team All-EIVA, 2013 First-Team All-EIVA, 2014 First-Team All-EIVA, 2014 First-Team All-American, 2015 First-Team All-EIVA, 2015 Karch Kiraly Award, 2015 National Server of the Year finalist, 2015 First-Team All-American
Player bio: The face of Penn State men’s volleyball this decade went from not being able to play on his high school’s boys volleyball team to being a member of the U.S Men’s National Team. As a freshman, Russell led the team with 0.94 blocks per game. As a sophomore, Russell led the team with 0.39 aces per game, a .304 attack percentage, and 3.59 kills per game, ranking seventh in the nation in the former category. In a junior, he led the nation with 0.65 aces per game, while also ranking in the top ten nationally with 4.00 kills per game; he also led the team with a .342 attack percentage. In his senior year, he ranked second nationally with 4.68 kills per game, fourth nationally with 0.55 aces per game, and 12th nationally with a .381 attack percentage. Russell ranks second in program history with 198 career aces, and fourth in program history with 1,534 career kills. His 71 aces in 2014 and 62 aces in 2015 rank second and third best respectively for most aces in a single season.
Taylor Sander, BYU (2011-2014)
Awards and honors: 2011 MPSF Freshman of the Year, 2011 Second-Team All-American, 2012 First-Team All-MPSF, 2012 First-Team All-American, 2012 First-Team All-MPSF, 2013 MPSF Player of the Year, 2013 First-Team All-American, 2013 First-Team All-MPSF 2014 National Player of the Year, 2014 Fan Choice National Player of the Year, 2014 National Server of the Year finalist, 2014 MPSF Player of the Year, 2014 First-Team All-American, 2014 First-Team All-MPSF
Player bio: Sander finished his career with the Cougars as one of the most decorated athletes in the history of collegiate men’s volleyball. Sander holds the school record in the rally-scoring era in kills (1,765) and aces (188). He led the 2012, 2013, and 2014 teams in kills, highlighted by an eye-popping 506 in 2014. Sander led BYU in aces each of the four seasons he was in Provo. In 2011, his 0.44 aces per game ranked No. 5 nationally. In 2012, his 4.89 kills per game ranked No. 2 nationally while his 0.49 aces per game ranked No. 5. In 2013, his 3.94 kills per game ranked No. 5 nationally. In 2014, his 4.60 kills per game ranked No. 2 nationally while his 0.50 aces per game ranked No. 5.
Erik Shoji, Stanford (2009-2012)
Awards and honors this decade: 2010 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2010 First-Team All-American, 2011 First-Team All-MPSF, 2011 First-Team All-American, 2012 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2012 First-Team All-American
Player bio: Throughout his illustrious career, Shoji racked up 1,402 digs, the most in college volleyball history, even surpassing the sideout scoring mark. Shoji helped lead the Cardinal to the National Title in 2010. Additionally, Shoji is the namesake for the “Erik Shoji Award”, given out annually by Off the Block to the nation’s top libero. Shoji is currently the starting libero for the U.S. Men’s National Team and is widely considered the greatest libero to ever play collegiate men’s volleyball.
Nicolas Szerszen, Ohio State (2015-18)
Awards and honors: 2015 Freshman All-American, 2015 All-American Honorable Mention, 2015 MIVA Freshman of the Year, 2015 All-MIVA First Team, 2016 National Player of the Year, 2016 Karch Kiraly Award, 2016 All-American First Team, 2016 MIVA Player of the Year, 2016 All-MIVA First Team, 2016 All-MIVA Tournament, 2016 MIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 2016 All-NCAA Tournament, 2017 All-American First Team, 2017 International Player of the Year, 2017 National Server of the Year, 2017 Karch Kiraly Award finalist, 2017 MIVA Player of the Year, 2017 All-MIVA First Team, 2017 All-MIVA Tournament, 2017 All-NCAA Tournament, 2017 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 2018 International Player of the Year, 2018 Karch Kiraly Award finalist, 2018 National Server of the Year, 2018 All-American First Team, 2018 MIVA Player of the Year, 2018 All-MIVA First Team, 2018 All-MIVA Tournament, 2018 MIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 2018 All-NCAA Tournament
Player bio: The honors continue for one of the most decorated players of the decade. Szerszen never ranked outside of the top four nationally in terms of aces per game during his final three seasons as a Buckeye. He has the top three marks for most aces and most aces per game in a single season in program history. He never ranked outside of the top-12 nationally in terms of attack percentage and kills per game during his final three seasons. He twice had six aces in a single match, which ties for fifth best in program history for most aces in a single match. His 513 kills in Player of the Year season ranks fourth in program history for most kills in a single season. His 783 career digs ranks third in program history while his .373 career attack percentage ranks 11th. In addition, his 1,678 kills ranks as best in program history, regardless of era. On top of that, his 238 career aces is 78 more than the player with the second most in program history.
Josh Tuaniga, Long Beach State (2016-19)
Awards and honors: 2016 Freshman All-American, 2016 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2016 All-MPSF Second Team, 2016 All-American Second Team, 2017 Lloy Ball Award, 2017 All-MPSF First Team, 2017 All-American First Team, 2018 Lloy Ball Award, 2018 All-Big West First Team, 2018 Big West Tournament MVP, 2018 All-NCAA Tournament Team, 2018 All-American First Team, 2018 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 2018 AVCA Player of the Year, 2019 All-Big West First Team, 2019 All-American First Team, 2019 All-NCAA Tournament Team
Player bio: The four-year starter finished his Beach career with 4,607 assists good for a 10.87 assists per game average. Those 4,607 are second most by a Beach setter during the rally-scoring era. Tuaniga ranked No. 3 in 2016 with 11.18 assists per game, while the Beach ranked No. 4 in the nation with a .327 attack percentage. In 2017, Tuaniga led the nation with a 11.08 assists per game average, while the Beach had the top attack percentage at .366. In 2018, Tuaniga ranked No. 6 with 10.43 assists per game, while the Beach again topped the nation with a .375 attack percentage. During his senior season, he ranked No. 3 nationally with a 10.71 assists per game average, while Beach ranked No. 2 with a .414 attack percentage. Tuaniga’s serving was overshadowed by his fellow starting outside attacker and opposite, but his 108 career aces ranks No. 8 in program history.
Off the Block Second-Team All-Decade Team player bios
Michael Brinkley, UC Irvine (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2013 First-Team All-MPSF, 2013 First-Team All-American, 2014 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2014 First-Team All-American, 2015 First-Team All-MPSF, 2015 First-Team All-American
Along with the three First-Team All-American selections, Brinkley finished his collegiate career with 1,099 digs good for a 2.52 digs per game average.
Carson Clark, UC Irvine (2009-12)
Awards and honors this decade: 2010 First-Team All-MPSF, 2010 First-Team All-American, 2011 First-Team All-MPSF, 2011 Second-Team All-American, 2012 First-Team All-MPSF, 2012 First-Team All-American
Player bio: Clark’s 2010 was his best as he tallied 564 kills on a 5.04 kills per game. He ranked No. 3 nationally with 4.54 kills per game and No. 7 with 0.42 aces per game in 2011, while ranking No. 3 nationally with 0.55 aces per game and No. 12 with 3.73 kills per game in 2012. For his career, he tallied 1,861 kills (4.32 kills per game average) and 183 aces.
Taylor Crabb, Long Beach State (2011-14)
Awards and honors: 2011 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2011 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2012 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2013 First-Team All-MPSF, 2013 National Player of the Year, 2013 First-Team All-American, 2014 First-Team All-American, 2014 First-Team All-MPSF
Player bio: Before he became a star on the beach, he was a star at the Beach. His 802 career digs ranks second best in program history, while his 1,600 assists ranks No. 8 in program history. His 4.8 kills during his senior season led the nation. He led the team during his final two years in kills per game and attack percentage, while leading the team in digs per game during his sophomore year.
Kyle Ensing, Long Beach State (2016-19)
Awards and honors: 2016 All-MPSF Tournament Team, 2016 Off the Block All-American, 2016 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2016 All-MPSF Second Team, 2017 All-MPSF First Team, 2017 All-American Second Team, 2018 Brian Ivie Award, 2018 All-Big West First Team, 2018 All-NCAA Tournament Team, 2018 All-American First Team, 2019 Big West Player of the Year, 2019 All-Big West First Team, 2019 All-American First Team, 2019 All-NCAA Tournament Team
Player bio: Ensing finished his Beach career with 1,421 kills (No. 9 in program history), good for a 3.37 kills per game average. He finished his career with a .328 attack percentage, and 140 aces (No. 3 in program history). Ensing was second on the 2018 and 2019 in aces per game, kills per game, and attack percentage. His .534 aces per game in 2019 helped lead the Beach to lead the nation with 1.96 aces per game.
Daenan Gyimah, UCLA (2017 – present)
Awards and honors: 2017 Freshman All-American, 2017 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2018 Ryan Millar Award, 2018 International Player of the Year finalist, 2018 First-Team All-American, 2018 First-Team All-MPSF, 2018 NCAA All-Tournament Team, 2019 Ryan Millar Award, 2019 Dain Blanton Award, 2019 First-Team All-American, 2019 First-Team All-MPSF
Gyimah ranks eighth in program history (rally-scoring era) with 290 career total blocks, sixth in career block assists (259), and eighth in block solos (31). Gyimah’s 151 total blocks in 2018 ranks second-best in a single season, while his nation-best .528 attack percentage ranks as tops in a single season. He also set the program mark for highest attack percentage in a single match hitting .919 with 11 kills and zero errors against McKendree in January 2019.
Ben Patch, BYU (2013, 2016-2017)
Awards and honors: 2013 MPSF Freshman of the Year, 2013 First-Team All-American, 2016 Bryan Ivie Award, 2016 First-Team All-American, 2016 First-Team All-MPSF, 2017 Bryan Ivie Award finalist, 2017 All-MPSF Honorable Mention
Player bio: Patch burst onto the scene in 2013, collecting MPSF Freshman of the Year and AVCA All-American First Team honors while helping lead the Cougars to the national championship match. After serving a two-year mission, Patch returned to the court and led the Cougars with 4.32 kills per game in 2016 (No. 5 nationally). In his career, Patch collected over 1,000 kills while hitting an efficient .345.
Futi Tavana, BYU (2010-2012)
Awards and honors: 2010 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2010 Second-Team All American, 2011 National Blocker of the Year finalist 2011 First-Team All-American, 2011 First-Team All-MPSF, 2012 National Blocker of the Year finalist, 2012 First-Team All-American, 2012 First-Team All-MPSF
Player bio: Tavana put up huge numbers early in the decade, collecting 856 kills (2.13 kills per game) and 662 total blocks (1.65 blocks per game). In both 2011 and 2012, the Kauai native was No. 2 nationally with 1.52 and 1.59 blocks per game respectively. The 2012 BYU team led the nation with 3.27 blocks per game.
Kevin Tillie, UC Irvine (2012-13)
Awards and honors: 2012 First-Team All-MPSF, 2012 First-Team All-American, 2013 First-Team All-MPSF, 2013 First-Team All-American
Player bio: The French native spent his first two years at Thompson Rivers in Canada before transferring to UC Irvine for his final two seasons of college ball. Tillie’s .387 attack percentage in 2012 ranked No. 3 nationally, while his 3.80 kills per game ranked No. 11. Tillie led the 2013 team in aces per game, attack percentage, and kills per game – all in the Top 20 nationally. Tillie finished his UC Irvine career with 3.76 kills per game (737 total kills) and a .360 attack percentage.
Stijn van Tilburg, Hawai’i (2016-19)
Awards and honors: 2016 Freshman All-American, 2016 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2017 Bryan Ivie Award finalist, 2017 First-Team All-MPSF, 2017 First-Team All American, 2018 First-Team All American, 2019 First-Team All American, 2019 Karch Kiraly Award finalist, 2019 International Player of the Year, 2019 First-Team All-Big West, 2019 Big West Tournament Most Valuable Player
Player bio: The Dutch native is only one of two players in Hawai’i history be named First-Team All-American three times in his career. Due in part to leading the Bows in kills in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, van Tilburg finished the No. 7 in program history with 1,410 kills. His 0.457 attack percentage ranked No. 2 nationally in 2019. His .933 attack percentage (on 15 errorless attempts) in a match versus King in 2016 set the program record for best attack percentage in a single match. Van Tilburg also is one of two players named the Outrigger Invitational All-Tournament Team in all four seasons he played, with the Costas Theocharidis.
David Wieczorek, Pepperdine (2016-19)
Awards and honors: 2016 All-MPSF Second Team, 2016 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2016 Off the Block/Springbak Freshman All-American Team, 2017 All-American Honorable Mention, 2017 All-MPSF First Team, 2018 All-American Second Team, 2018 MPSF Player of the Year, 2018 All-MPSF First Team, 2019 All-American First Team, 2019 All-MPSF Player of the Year, 2019 All-MPSF First Team, 2016-2019 Off the Block Fan Choice National Player of Year
Player bio: As if being named the back-to-back-to-back-to back Off the Block Fan Choice National Player of the Year was not enough validation, Wieczorek led the Waves in kills in the separate seasons, aces in three seasons, and attack efficiency in two seasons. His 355 career kills ranks 12th best in program history, while his 133 aces ranks sixth best. He had 42 aces in both 2018 and 2019 – good for sixth best in a single season for a Waves player.
Off the Block Third-Team All-Decade Team player bios
Taylor Averill, Hawai’i (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2013 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2014 First-Team All-MPSF, 2014 First-Team All American, 2015 First-Team All-MPSF, 2015 First-Team All American
Player bio: The middle attacker led the Bows in 2013, 2014, and 2015 in attack percentage, while also leading the team in blocks in 2014 and 2015. Averill has two of the top three single-season marks for most block solos and highest attack percentage in a single season during the rally-scoring era. His career 0.419 attack percentage and 53 career block solos both rank No. 5 in program history. His 13 total block performance in a 2015 match at UC San Diego still ranks No. 2 in program history for most blocks in a single match, while his 0.750 attack percentage in a 2015 match versus Pepperdine still ranks No. 7 in program history for best attack percentage in a single match.
BJ Boldog, Lewis (2011-14)
Awards and honors: 2011 Second-Team All-MIVA, 2012 Second-Team All-American, 2012 First-Team All-MIVA, 2012 MIVA All-Tournament, 2013 Second-Team All-American, 2013 First-Team All-MIVA, 2013 MIVA All-Tournament, 2014 Second-Team All-American, 2014 First-Team All-MIVA, 2014 MIVA All-Tournament
Player bio: Boldog set the program’s rally scoring era record with 4,385 career assists in his four seasons as the team’s starting setter. In his senior season, Boldog guided the offense to the nation’s third-best attack percentage at .328 as the Flyers became the second non-West Coast team in college men’s volleyball history to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. He also led Lewis to a national top five attack percentage at .321 in 2012 and helped the team win its first MIVA championship in almost a decade. Along with his offensive performance, Boldog finished ninth in program history with 338 career blocks.
Tony Ciarelli, USC (2009-12)
Awards and honors: 2010 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2011 First-Team All-MPSF, 2011 Second-Team All-American, 2012 National Player of the Year, 2012 MPSF Player of the Year, 2012 First-Team All-American, 2012 First-Team All-MPSF
Player bio: Ciarelli owns the program record (rally-scoring era) with 167 career aces . During his senior season, he set the single-season record for most aces in a season with 62, and highest aces per game average for a single season at with .614 aces per game. He finished his career with 1,641 kills good for a 3.85 kills per game average.
Ryan Coenen, Lewis (2017 – present)
Awards and honors: 2017 National Newcomer of the Year, 2017 Second-Team All-American, 2017 Freshman All-American, 2017 Co-MIVA Freshman of the Year, 2017 First-Team All-MIVA, 2017 MIVA All-Freshman Team, 2018 Second-Team All-American, 2018 Division II National Player of the Year finalist, 2018 First-Team All-MIVA, 2019 Second-Team All-American, 2019 First-Team All-MIVA, 2019 MIVA All-Tournament Team
Player bio: With one season remaining in his college career, Coenen has already become the 10th player in program history to surpass the 1,000th career kills milestone. The outside attacker finished the 2018 season leading the conference and ninth in the nation with a 3.79 kills per game average, including having a season-high 21 kills on a .514 attack percentage in a regular season sweep against Ohio State. Conen also ended last season among the MIVA and national leaders averaging 3.25 kills per game en route to helping the Flyers reach the NCAA Tournament semifinals. Along with his offensive performance, Coenen is eighth in program history with 99 aces.
Evan Enriques (2015-18)
Awards and honors: 2016 Erik Shoji Award, 2016 First-Team All-American, 2016 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2017 Erik Shoji Award finalist, 2017 All-American Honorable Mention, 2017 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2018 Second-Team All-American, 2018 Second-Team All-MPSF
Payer bio: Enriques as a sophomore led the MPSF and was 11th in the nation with a 2.53 digs per game average. He also had double-digit digs in eight conference matches en route to winning the inaugural Erik Shoji. This was the first of three consecutive seasons that Eriques finished with more than 200 digs. The libero ended the 2017 season in the nation’s top 15 averaging 2.36 digs per game.
Brad Lawson, Stanford (2009-2012)
Awards and honors this decade: 2010 MPSF Player of the Year, 2010 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 2010 All-MPSF First Team, 2010 All-American First Team, 2011 All-MPSF First Team, 2011 All-American First Team, 2012 All-American First Team, 2012 All-MPSF First Team
Player bio: Lawson was one of the best outside attackers of the early decade as he racked up over 1,800 career kills on a .326 efficiency with 233 total blocks and 679 digs. In addition to putting up terrific career numbers, Lawson had one of the greatest individual matches in NCAA tournament history, helping the Cardinal win the 2010 national championship. In the title match, Lawson tallied 24 kills on 28 swings with only one error. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
Geoff Powell, Lewis (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2012 MIVA Freshman of the Year, 2012 NCAA All-Tournament Team, 2012 MIVA All-Tournament Team, 2013 Second-Team All-American, 2013 First-Team All-MIVA, 2013 MIVA All-Tournament Team, 2014 First-Team All-American, 2014 First-Team All-MIVA, 2014 MIVA All-Tournament Team, 2015 First-Team All-American, 2015 First-Team All-MIVA, 2015 NCAA All-Tournament Team, 2015 MIVA All-Tournament Team
Player bio: Powell is fourth all-time in program history and second during the rally scoring era with 1,368 career kills. The outside attacker finished each of his final three seasons in the nation’s top 30 for kills, including having a career-high 3.89 kills per game average in 2014. Powell was in the conference’s top 10 as a junior and senior hitting more than .325. He also led the Flyers to three NCAA Tournament appearances and had 20 kills and two aces in the 2015 NCAA Tournament finals.
Shawn Sangrey, Ohio State (2009-12)
Awards and honors this decade: 2010 All-MIVA First Team, 2010 All-MIVA Tournament Team, 2010 All-American Honorable Mention, 2011 All-MIVA First Team, 2011 All-MIVA Tournament Team, 2011 All-NCAA Tournament Team, 2012 All-MIVA First Team, 2012 MIVA Player of the Year, 2012 All-MIVA Tournament Team, 2012 All-American First Team
Player bio: Sangrey’s 548 kills in 2012 ranks as third-best in program history for kills in a single season, while his 5.03 kills per set that season ranks as eighth-best. That 5.03 kills per game also was tops in the nation that year, while his .277 attack percentage led the team. His 1,441 career kills and 4.14 kills per game average both rank fourth in program history. His 103 career aces and 0.30 aces per game both rank seventh in program history.
Bobby Walsh, Lewis (2013-16)
Awards and honors: 2013 Second-Team All-MIVA, 2014 Second-Team All-MIVA, 2014 MIVA All-Tournament Team, 2015 National Blocker of the Year, 2015 Second-Team All-American, 2015 First-Team All-MIVA, 2016 First-Team All-American, 2016 First-Team All-MIVA, 2016 MIVA All-Tournament Team
Player bio: Walsh holds the program record with a .474 career attack percentage and holds the program’s rally scoring era record 556 career blocks. In each of his four seasons, Walsh hit more than .450 and had more than 125 blocks. The middle attacker in 2015 lead the nation with a 1.54 blocks per game average and had a career-best .490 attack percentage as Lewis reached the NCAA Tournament finals. This also was the second straight season that Walsh finished in the nation’s top five for blocks.
Matt West, Pepperdine (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2012 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2012 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2013 All-American First Team, 2013 All-MPSF First Team, 2014 All-American Second Team, 2014 All-MPSF First Team, 2015 All-American First Team. 2015 All-MPSF First Team
Player bio: Matt West led the Waves in assists in all four seasons in Malibu, something only one other player has done for Pepperdine during the rally scoring period (Jonathan Winder). His 4,766 career assists ranks second to Winder. Two of West’s single season assists marks fall in the top ten in program history, while his 39 aces in 2015 ranks tenth best. West’s 684 digs ranks fifth best in program history.