Voting: Off the Block, Frisco Mo NAIA Men’s Volleyball Mascot Challenge

The field is set and now it’s time to determine the best mascot in NAIA men’s volleyball.

The Off the Block/Frisco Mo NAIA Men’s Volleyball Mascot Challenge begins with the opening day of the round-robin stage.

The winner of every head-to-head match during the round-robin stage will be decided through fan voting on the Off the Block website. In addition, the two teams in each division with the best records at the end of the round-robin stage on Friday will advance to the semifinals.

Along with the championship title, the winning school will receive a $50 donation from Off the Block that will go towards helping the champion mascot attend a men’s volleyball match during the 2021 season.

Below are the round-robin polls for the day and the bios of each mascot in the tournament field. The polls close at 10 p.m. (CST) Monday.

Individuals can also view the tournament standings and cast their votes at offtheblockblog.com/naiamascotchallenge.

Eastern Division matches

Western Division matches

Champ the Cougar

School: St. Xavier
Mascot fun fact: Champ is a fixture throughout the university’s campus doing everything from attending men’s volleyball matches to conducting costume contests on Halloween.
Men’s volleyball note: St. Xavier coach Tom Ryan was named to the 2020 AVCA Thirty Under 30 list.

Claws

School: Campbellsville
Mascot fun fact: Claws has been spotted wearing a variety of Campbellsville uniforms at sports events, including the school’s football jersey and basketball jersey.
Men’s volleyball note: The Tigers were ranked No. 1 in the national coaches poll midway through during the 2020 season and had two victories against NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball programs.

Maximus

School: Indiana Tech
Mascot fun fact: Maximus dresses as a classic Roman soldier and was redesigned in 2014 — nine years after being initially unveiled.
Men’s volleyball note: The Warriors restarted their men’s volleyball program in 2020 with Kyle Shondell, the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shondell, serving as the head coach. Indiana Tech first started its program in 1962 and was a member of the MIVA until 1973.

Mortarmer McPestle

School: St. Louis College of Pharmacy
Mascot fun fact: Known as Morty for short, this mascot is a eutectic. A eutectic is a scientific process when two solids are combined to form a liquid.
Men’s volleyball note: St. Louis College of Pharmacy in its inaugural season was limited to eight matches due the season being canceled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic

Oakie the Acorn

School: Menlo
Mascot fun fact: Oakie became the school’s mascot in part because of the iconic oak trees located on the Menlo campus.
Men’s volleyball note: The Oaks were 17-1 and ranked No. 3 in the national coaches poll at the time the remainder of the 2020 season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Phelix the Phoenix

School: Cumberland
Mascot fun fact: Phelix debuted in 2018 following the university’s decision two years earlier to change its nickname from the Bulldogs to the Phoenix.
Men’s volleyball note: Cumberland won five of its final eight matches before the 2020 season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Rico the Redhawk

School: Benedictine-Mesa
Mascot fun fact: Rico became the school’s new mascot thanks in part to the successful fundraising campaign from the student senate that helped pay for for a new mascot suit.
Men’s volleyball note: Benedictine-Mesa in 2019 won the inaugural NAIA men’s volleyball national championship. In addition, the Redhawks ended the shortened 2020 season at No. 6 in the national rankings.

Samson the Lion

School: Vanguard
Mascot fun fact: Samson the Lion defeated Oakie of Menlo in the championship round of the inaugural Golden State Athletic Conference Mascot Challenge in 2018
Men’s volleyball note: Vanguard ended its inaugural season at No. 8 in the national coaches poll and had an upset victory against the NCAA Division III powerhouse Springfield.

Sir Jimmie

School: Jamestown
Mascot fun fact: A Jimmie represents pride, tradition, acting a first-class manner, family, community, hard work and sacrifice. The mascot is based off the medieval knight Sir Jimmie who sought to help mankind and make the world better.
Men’s volleyball note: With former U.S. Olympian Riley Salmon as its head coach, Jamestown went 11-2 during its inaugural season in 2020 and had a victory against a top-10 ranked team.

Sting

School: Graceland
Mascot fun fact: Sting not only roams around the sidelines at sporting events but the school in 2017 unveiled a 6-foot statue of the mascot that is located on the campus.
Men’s volleyball note: Graceland as a NAIA school was a member of the MIVA from 1987-90. The Yellowjackets finished the 1989 season at 34-13, despite being winless in conference play.

Troll

School: Trinity Christian
Mascot fun fact: The origin of the Troll dates back before the formation of Trinity Christian when he would guard a golf course that is now the location of the college grounds.
Men’s volleyball note: The Trolls finished the 2020 season 13-9 and had won four of their last five matches before the season was canceled.

Vic the V-Hawk

School: Viterbo
Mascot fun fact: Vic the V-Hawk won the conference mascot championship and advanced to the NAIA national mascot tournament in 2017.
Men’s volleyball note: Viterbo ended the 2020 season at 14-9 — an 11-win improvement from its inaugural season in 2019.