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Ten international college men’s volleyball players have been selected for a new national honor.
Off the Block announced Thursday that players from BYU, Charleston, Coker, Lincoln Memorial, Mount Olive, NJIT, Quincy, UCLA and USC were named to the inaugural Off the Block All-World Team.
The All-World Team recognizes the best NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball players during the season from Africa, Asia, Australia, South America and North American countries excluding the United States. The team is comprised of the top 10 players, regardless of position, and is selected by Off the Block.
The All-World Team was created in an effort to celebrate the contributions of international players to college men’s volleyball. Historically numerous student-athletes from countries around the world have earned All-American honors and helped their teams win NCAA championships.
Brazil led all nations with five players making the All-World Team, while two players from Australia earned the accolade.
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.
2019 Off the Block All-World Team
Opposite: Joao Victor Santos, Coker (Brazil)
Outside attacker: Tobi Azeez, Mount Olive (Australia)
Outside attacker: Gianluca Grasso, USC (Brazil)
Outside attacker: Max Senica, Charleston (Australia)
Middle attacker: Luca Berger, NJIT (Brazil)
Middle attacker: Pedro Carvalho, Lincoln Memorial (Brazil)
Middle attacker: Felipe de Brito Ferreira, BYU (Brazil)
Middle attacker: Daenan Gyimah, UCLA (Canada)
Middle attacker: Adriel Roberts, Charleston (Trinidad)
Libero: Noam Hannoun, Quincy (Israel)
Tobi Azeez, Mount Olive
Azeez as a freshman finished in the top 10 of the ConfCarolinas with a 3.26 kills per game average, including having a season-high 26 kills in a comeback victory against North Greenville in March. He also had double-digit kills in 12 matches as he helped the Trojans earn a top-four finish in the conference.
Luca Berger, NJIT
Berger led the EIVA and was sixth in the nation with a 1.20 blocks per game average, including having a season-high 10 blocks in a near upset of Princeton in March. The All-EIVA selection also finished with a .381 attack percentage and hit at least .500 in seven matches.
Felipe de Brito Ferreira, BYU
Ferreira was third in the MPSF and in the nation’s top 20 with a 1.01 blocks per game average. The middle attacker also had a .498 attack percentage, including having a season-high 14 kills while hitting .619 in a MPSF Tournament quarterfinals victory against Stanford.
Pedro Carvalho, Lincoln Memorial
Carvalho led the nation with a 1.45 blocks per game average and had at least five blocks in 13 matches, including nine blocks in a victory versus Belmont Abbey in March. Along with being a finalist for the Off the Block National Blocker of the Year, Carvalho for the second consecutive season finished with more than a .400 attack percentage.
Gianluca Grasso, USC
Grasso was among the MPSF leaders with a 3.05 kills per game average and contributed double-digit kills in 20 matches, including 10 kills while hitting .500 in a regular season upset of No. 1/1 Long Beach State. He also finished with a career-high 141 digs as he helped the Trojans reach the NCAA Tournament opening round.
Daenan Gyimah, UCLA
Gyimah was fifth in the nation with a .435 attack percentage. The All-American and winner of the inaugural Dain Blanton Diversity Award had double-digit kills in 15 regular season matches, including a season-high 25 kills while hitting .553 in a victory against Stanford in February.
Noam Hannoun, Quincy
Hannoun as a freshman led the nation with a 2.95 digs per game average. He also had at least 20 digs in three MIVA matches, including a match-high 22 digs in a near upset of Lindenwood in February.
Adriel Roberts, Charleston
Roberts was fourth in the EIVA with a .334 attack percentage and had at least eight kills in seven conference matches. The All-EIVA honorable mention also had a conference-best 101 blocks and was sixth in the conference with a 1.02 blocks per game average.
Joao Victor Santos, Coker
Santos finished in the nation’s top 20 with a 3.57 kills per game average and had double-digit kills in all but two matches this season. The All-Independent Team selection also had at least 20 kills in three matches, including a season-high 21 kills in five-game upset victory against Mount Olive in February.
Max Senica, Charleston
Senica was among the EIVA leaders averaging both 2.25 kills per game and 1.54 digs per game. He also had a season-high 19 kills on a .500 attack percentage and 10 digs in a four-game non-conference victory against King in January.