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A nationwide voting committee selected UCLA setter Micah Ma’a, Long Beach State setter Josh Tuaniga and Hawai’i setter Joe Worsley as finalists for the annual Lloy Ball Award.
The Lloy Ball Award, which is named after the former Purdue Fort Wayne All-American and U.S. Olympian setter, is presented to the nation’s best setter in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season.
Off the Block announced the finalists on Sunday and will unveil the award winner on Friday as part of its College Men’s Volleyball National Awards Presentation.
Ma’a was in the nation’s top 10 with a 10.24 assists per game average and led the team to be third in the nation hitting .332 during the first half of the season. However, UCLA because of injuries to multiple starters switched Ma’a from setter to outside attacker for the season’s second half. He also was third in the nation with a 0.64 aces per game average, including having at least five aces in three MPSF matches.
Tuaniga, a two-time winner of the Lloy Ball Award, is third in the country averaging 10.72 assists per game and led the defending NCAA champion 49ers to the second-best attack percentage in the nation at .411. He also was among the nation’s leaders for setters with a 1.53 digs per game average and contributed to Long Beach State earning the No. 2 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.
Worsley leads the nation with an 11.33 assists per game average and guided the Rainbow Warriors to a nation-best .442 attack percentage. He also contributed a career-high 24 aces as he helped Hawai’i win the Big West championship and earn the No. 1 overall seed to the NCAA Tournament.
The voting committee for the Lloy Ball Award was comprised of about 25 college men’s volleyball head coaches and volleyball media members from around the nation.
This is the sixth year that Off the Block has presented the Lloy Ball Award. Previous winners of the award include former USC All-American setter Micah Christenson in 2014 and 2015, former Pepperdine All-American setter Matt West in 2015 and former Stanford All-American setter James Shaw in 2016 and Tuaniga the last two seasons.
The Lloy Ball Award is one of several end of season awards presented by Off the Block. Among the other national awards includes the Karch Kiraly Award to the nation’s top outside attacker, the Bryan Ivie Award to the nation’s top opposite, the Erik Shoji Award to the nation’s top libero and the Ryan Millar Award to the nation’s top middle attacker.
Off the Block is a national award winning website that launched in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.