Follow
UPDATE: Click here to vote in the online poll that is now open.
Eight college men’s volleyball players have been selected as finalists for the 2011 Off the Block Fan Choice Offseason Award.
The Offseason Award recognizes the best performances from current NCAA men’s volleyball players in international tournaments during the summer and gives volleyball fans from around the nation the chance to determine who was the best player.
Off the Block selected the finalists for this inaugural award, which includes UCLA middle attacker Thomas Amberg, USC setter Micah Christenson, UC Irvine outside attacker Carson Clark, UC Santa Barbara middle attacker Dylan Davis, UCLA outside attacker Gonzalo Quiroga, Penn State middle attacker Aaron Russell, BYU outside attacker Taylor Sander and Pepperdine outside attacker Matthew Tarantino.
Fans will determine the winner of the Offseason Award through online voting on the Off the Block website. The online poll will open at 12:01 a.m. (EST) Tuesday and end at 12:01 a.m. (EST) Thursday.
NCAA men’s volleyball players participated in three prestigious international tournaments this summer: the World University Games, the Men’s Junior World Championship and the Boys’ Youth World Championship.
Sander, Christenson and Davis helped guide the United States to a fourth-place finish at the Men’s Junior World Championship — the nation’s best finish in the history of the tournament. In addition, Clark and Amberg were a part of the U.S. team that finished in 13th place the World University Games.
Tarantino helped the United States end the Youth World Championship in 11th place, while Quiroga led Argentina to a fifth-place finish at the tournament.
This is the second award presented by Off the Block that allows the fans to determine the winner. More than 10,000 people in May voted for the 2011 Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year.