A nationwide voting committee selected Pacific middle attacker Sean Daley, USC middle attacker Robert Feathers and BYU middle attacker Futi Tavana as finalists for the Off the Block Blocker of the Year.
The Off the Block Blocker of the Year award is given to the nation’s best front-row defensive men’s volleyball player during the regular season. To be eligible for this award, a player must be on the active roster of a Division I-II men’s volleyball team.
Daley was second in the MPSF and fifth in the nation with a 1.47 blocks per game average. In addition, the senior led the nation with 26 solo blocks — one of two players in the nation to have more than 20 solo blocks this season.
Feathers ended the regular season leading the nation with a 1.67 blocks per game average. As a true freshman, Feathers started all but three matches and had 11 matches with at least seven blocks, including a season-high 10 blocks in an upset victory against then-No. 1 Stanford in February.
Tavana, the defending Off the Block Blocker of the Year award winner, was third in the MPSF and fourth in the nation with a 1.51 blocks per game average. The senior in March also set the school record for career blocks during the rally scoring era and became one of two players in BYU history with more than 600 career blocks.
The voting committee for this award was comprised of more than 10 men’s volleyball head coaches and volleyball reporters from around the nation.
The overall winner of the Off the Block Blocker of the Year award will be announced Monday.
This is the second year for the Off the Block Blocker of the Year. Off the Block is a website that launched in January 2011 and solely focuses on college men’s volleyball news and analysis.
VOTING RESULTS
Finalists (listed in alphabetical order)
Sean Daley, Pacific
Robert Feathers, USC
Futi Tavana, BYU
Others receiving votes
T-4. Piotr Dabrowski, George Mason
T-4. Wes Dunlap, UCLA
T-6. Thomas Amberg, UCLA
T-6. Adam Rouche, St. Francis
T-8. Russell Lavaja, BYU
T-8. Matt Leske, Ball State
T-8. Aaron Russell, Penn State
T-8. Steven Shandrick, USC