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Fan Choice Player of the Year contest starts this week
For immediate release May 21, 2012
Sixty-five players have been selected for the Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year tournament field.
The Fan Choice Player of the Year recognizes the best individual performances from NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball players during the season and gives volleyball fans from around the world the chance to determine who was the best player.
The contest is a bracket-style seven-round tournament matching up the nation’s best players against each with the winner being determined through online voting on the Off the Block website, offtheblockblog.com.
The tournament will begin at 12:01 a.m. (EST) Tuesday with the play-in match between Penn State middle attacker Aaron Russell and UCLA outside attacker Gonzalo Quiroga. The 32 first-round matches will then begin on Wednesday and Thursday.
Every round will last one day with the polls closing at 11 p.m. (EST). The player with the most votes when the polls close will advance to the next round.
Several volleyball organizations give a National Player of the Year award at the end of each season. However, the Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year is the only player of the year award solely determined by the fans.
Off the Block selected and seeded the tournament field using several factors, including a player’s performance during the season, all-conference and All-American honors, level of competition played throughout the season and how the player’s team fared.
Each team in the EIVA, MIVA, MPSF, the Conference Carolinas and teams in the process of transition from the NAIA to Division II received one automatic bid to the tournament. Off the Block also award 30 at-large bids to complete the 65-player field.
Players selected to the tournament were placed into four regions. Each region — the Matt Anderson Region, the Ryan Millar Region, the Reid Priddy Region and the Clay Stanley Region — was named after a member of the U.S. National Men’s Volleyball Team, which will compete at the upcoming Olympics in London. This is the second year of the Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year. Loyola outside attacker Mike Bunting won the 2011 Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year as more than 15,000 votes were cast throughout the event.
Below is a schedule of the tournament, the first-round match-ups and player bios.
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OFF THE BLOCK FAN CHOICE PLAYER OF THE YEAR TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Tuesday, May 22: Play-in match Wednesday, May 23: First-round of Matt Anderson and Ryan Millar regions Thursday, May 24: First-round of Clay Stanley and Reid Priddy regions Firday, May 25: Second-round of Matt Anderson and Ryan Millar regions Saturday, May 26: Second-round of Clay Stanley and Reid Priddy regions Sunday, May 27: Regional semifinals Tuesday, May 29: Regional finals Wednesday, May 30: National semifinals Thursday, May 31: National championship *Polls close at 11 p.m. (EST) for every round
OFF THE BLOCK FAN CHOICE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FIRST ROUND MATCHES
MATT ANDERSON REGION (MATCHES ON WEDNESDAY) No. 1 seed Carson Clark — UC Irvine vs. No. 16 seed Steven Battaglia — Quincy
No. 8 seed Ben Ponnet — Grand Canyon vs. No. 9 seed Piotr Dabrowski — George Mason
No. 4 seed Joe Sunder — Penn State vs. No. 13 seed Carl Eberts — UC San Diego
No. 5 seed Henry Cassiday — USC vs. No. 12 seed Taylor Crabb — Long Beach
No. 3 seed Maurice Torres — Pepperdine vs. No. 14 seed Efrain Negron — Lees-McRae
No. 6 seed Steven Hunt — Hawai’i vs. No. 11 seed Robert Feathers — USC
No. 7 seed Mike Bunting — Loyola vs. No. 10 seed Robb Stowell — BYU
No. 2 seed Brand Lawson — Stanford vs. No. 15 seed D.J. White — Harvard
RYAN MILLAR REGION (MATCHES ON WEDNESDAY) No. 1 seed Taylor Sander — BYU vs. No. 16 seed Brandon Rorer — King
No. 8 seed Alex Kane — St. Francis vs. No. 9 seed Brian Cook — Stanford
No. 4 seed Evan Barry — Stanford vs. No. 13 seed Taylor Hughes — Pacific
No. 5 seed Steven Shandrick — USC vs. No. 12 seed Matt Gallik — Lewis
No. 3 seed Thomas Amberg — UCLA vs. No. 14 seed Michael Kvidahl — George Mason
No. 6 seed Cody Kessel — Princeton vs. No. 11 seed Matt Leske — Ball State No. 7 seed Ivan Matos — IPFW vs. No. 10 seed Miles Evans — UC Santa Barbara
No. 2 seed Futi Tavana — BYU vs. No. 15 seed Scott Warren — Limestone
CLAY STANLEY REGION (MATCHES ON THURSDAY) No. 1 seed Tony Ciarelli — USC vs. No. 16 seed Zach McCalla — Barton
No. 8 seed Javier Caceres — Pacific vs. No. 9 seed Josh Taylor — Pepperdine
No. 4 seed Wes Dunlap — UCLA vs. No. 13 seed Jack Mitchell — Lindenwood
No. 5 seed Joseph Smalzer — Loyola vs. *No. 12 seed Aaron Russell — Penn State *No. 12 seed Gonzalo Quiroga — UCLA *Play-in match
No. 3 seed Erik Shoji — Stanford vs. No. 14 seed Adam Miracle — Mount Olive
No. 6 seed Edgardo Goas — Penn State vs. No. 11 seed Trent Bruns — Grand Canyon
No. 7 seed Joe Kauliakamoa — BYU vs. No. 10 seed Quentin Moore — Pfeiffer
No. 2 seed Kevin Tillie — UC Irvine vs. No. 15 seed Aaron McCalmont — Cal Baptist
REID PRIDDY REGION (MATCHES ON THURSDAY) No. 1 seed Shawn Sangrey — Ohio State vs. No. 16 seed Austin Pappas — Rutgers-Newark
No. 8 seed Russell Lavaja — BYU vs. No. 9 seed Brady Smith — NJIT
No. 4 seed Micah Christenson — USC vs. No. 13 seed Nick Hunt — Sacred Heart
No. 5 seed BJ Boldog — Lewis vs. No. 12 seed Julius Hoefer — Cal State Northridge
No. 3 seed Jay Petty — Lewis vs. No. 14 seed Sean Daley — Pacific
No. 6 seed Jeremy Dejno — UC Irvine vs. No. 11 seed Matt West — Pepperdine
No. 7 seed Matt Jones — Harvard vs. No. 10 seed Peter Jasaitis — Loyola
No. 2 seed Kyle Caldwell — UCLA vs. No. 15 seed Dan McDonnell — UC Irvine
OFF THE BLOCK FAN CHOICE PLAYER OF THE YEAR PLAYER BIOS
CLAY STANLEY REGION
No. 1 seed Tony Ciarelli – USC, outside attacker Ciarelli, the 2012 National Player of the Year and MPSF Player of the Year, was fourth in the nation with a 4.13 kills per game average. The senior also led the nation with 62 aces as the Trojans won the MPSF regular season championship and reached the Final Four for the second consecutive season.
No. 2 seed Kevin Tillie -- UC Irvine, outside attacker Tillie in his first season in the NCAA after transfer from a Canadian college was 11th in the nation with a 3.80 kills per game average. The junior First-Team All-American had a match-high 21 kills in a NCAA semifinals victory against Penn State and the Anteaters two days later won the national championship.
No. 3 seed Erik Shoji – Stanford, libero Shoji, the Stanford career leader in digs, led the MPSF and was third in the nation with a 2.69 digs per game average. The senior also set a record being named a First-Team All-American for four years and helped the Cardinal advance to the MPSF Tournament championship match.
No. 4 seed Wes Dunlap – UCLA, middle attacker Dunlap led the nation with a .461 attack percentage -- the only player in the nation to have more than a .400 attack percentage -- and was in the nation's top 30 with a 1.00 blocks per game average. The senior also was a Second-Team All-American selection as UCLA ended the regular season in fifth place and lost in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.
No. 5 seed Joseph Smalzer -- Loyola Smalzer led the MIVA and was sixth in the nation with a 0.49 aces per game average, while also finishing the year in nation's top 25 with a 3.44 kills per game average. He also earned Second-Team All-American honors and National Player of the Week honors as he helped led the Ramblers to the MIVA Tournament semifinals.
No. 6 Edgardo Goas -- Penn State, setter Goas led the EIVA and was third in the nation with an 11.38 assists per game average, while guiding the Nittany Lions' offense to a conference-best .318 attack percentage. The senior also was named to the First-Team All-EIVA as Penn State won the EIVA championship and reached the Final Four for the 14th consecutive year.
No. 7 seed Joe Kauliakamoa – BYU, setter Kauliakamoa was third in the MPSF and fourth in the nation with an 11.11 assists per game average, while guiding BYU's offense to the nation's third best attack percentage at .323. The senior was a Second-Team All-MPSF selection as BYU finished tied for second place in the MPSF and reached the conference tournament semifinals.
No. 8 seed Javier Caceres – Pacific, libero Caceres was second in the MPSF and seventh in the nation with a 2.50 digs per game average. The sophomore also was named to the Second-Team All-MPSF as the Tigers ended the season tied for 10th place in the MPSF and missed the conference tournament.
No. 9 seed Josh Taylor – Pepperdine, setter Taylor was in the nation's top 20 with a 3.52 kill per game average. He also was selected to the All-MPSF Freshman Team and helped lead Pepperdine to seventh place in the MPSF and the conference tournament quarterfinals.
No. 10 seed Quentin Moore – Pfeiffer, outside attacker Moore, the Co-Conference Carolina Player of the Year, was second in the conference and in the nation's top 25 with a 3.44 kills per game average. The sophomore was also named to the First-Team Conference Carolinas and helped the Falcons win their first Conference Carolinas championship in program history.
No. 11 seed Trent Bruns -- Grand Canyon, libero Bruns was third in the conference and in the nation's top 10 with a 2.44 digs per game average. The junior also was named the First-Team All-MIVA as Grand Canyon ended the season tied for fourth place in the MIVA and lost in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
No. 12 seed Gonzalo Quiroga — UCLA, outside attacker Quiroga was among MPSF leaders and in the nation’s top 10 with 47 aces and was second on UCLA with a 2.53 kills per game average. The sophomore also earned Second-Team All-MPSF honors as UCLA finished in fifth place in the MPSF and reached the conference tournament quarterfinals.
No. 12 seed Aaron Russell — Penn State, middle attacker Russell led Penn State with a 0.94 blocks per game average and was in the nation’s top 40 with 25 aces. The freshman also was a First-Team All-EIVA selection as the Nittany Lions won their 14th consecutive EIVA championship to reach the Final Four.
13. Jack Mitchell – Lindenwood, outside attacker Mitchell led his team with a 3.31 kills per game average while adding 96 blocks, second most on the team. Lindenwood -- which played this season as an independent team and is in the middle of a transition from NAIA to Division II -- finished the year 19-13.
No. 14 seed Adam Miracle -- Mount Olive, outside attacker Miracle was among the Conference Carolinas leaders and in the nation's top 30 with a 3.40 kills per game average. The junior also earned First-Team All-Conference Carolinas honors as Mount Olive finished in third place in the conference and reached the Conference Carolinas championship match.
No. 15 seed Aaron McCalmont -- Cal Baptist, outside attacker McCalmont led Cal Baptist with both a 3.26 kills per game average and 36 aces. The Lancers -- which played this season as an independent and are completing a transition from NAIA to Division II -- ended the year 12-16.
No. 16 seed Zach McCalla – Barton, outside attacker McCalla as a freshman led Barton with a 2.38 kills per game average and 13 aces. Barton in its program's inaugural season went winless and finished in last place in the Conference Carolinas.
15. Aaron McCalmont -- Cal Baptist, outside attacker McCalmont led Cal Baptist with both a 3.26 kills per game average and 36 aces. The Lancers -- which played this season as an independent and are completing a transition from NAIA to Division II -- ended the year 12-16.
RYAN MILLAR REGION
No. 1 seed Taylor Sander – BYU, outside attacker Despite missing a month with a hand injury, Sander ended the season leading the MPSF and second in the nation with a 4.89 kills per game average. The sophomore was a First-Team All-American selection and helped BYU finish tied for second in the MPSF and reach the conference tournament semifinals.
No. 2 seed Futi Tavana – BYU, middle attacker Tavana, an Off the Block Blocker of the Year finalist, was second in the nation with a 1.59 blocks per game average and set the BYU rally scoring record for career blocks. The senior was also named a First-Team All-American as BYU finished tied for second place in the MPSF and reached the conference tournament semifinals.
No. 3 seed Thomas Amberg – UCLA, middle attacker Amberg was among the conference leaders and seventh in the nation with a 1.41 blocks per game average and was fourth in the nation with 148 blocks. The senior also was a First-Team All-American selection as UCLA advanced to the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.
No. 4 seed Evan Barry – Stanford, setter Barry led the nation with a 12.04 assists per game average and helped guide the Cardinal offense to a .338 attack percentage -- second best in the nation. The senior was named a Second-Team All-American as Stanford finished tied for second place in the MPSF and reached the conference tournament championship match.
No. 5 seed Steven Shandrick – USC, middle attacker Shandrick was among conference leaders and in the nation's top 25 with a 1.06 blocks per game average. The senior Second-Team All-American selection also was a co-captain of USC, which won the MPSF regular season championship and reached the NCAA Tournament championship match.
No. 6 seed Cody Kessel – Princeton, outside attacker Kessel, the 2012 EIVA Newcomer of the Year, led the EIVA and was seventh in the nation with a 4.00 kills per game average. The freshman was a First-Team All-EIVA selected and helped lead Princeton to a spot in the four-team EIVA Tournament.
No. 7 seed Ivan Matos – IPFW, outside attacker Matos was second in the MPSF and in the nation's top 10 with a 3.82 kills per game average. The senior also earned First-Team All-MIVA and National Player of the Week honors as he helped IPFW finish tied for fourth place in the MIVA and reach the conference tournament quarterfinals.
No. 8 seed Alex Kane -- St. Francis, outside attacker Kane was among the EIVA leaders and in the nation's top 20 with both a 3.51 kills per game average and .327 attack percentage. The senior was also named to the First-Team All-EIVA as the Red Flashes finished tied for fourth place in the EIVA but missed the four-team conference tournament.
No. 9 Brian Cook – Stanford, outside attacker Cook was in the nation's top 20 with both a 3.50 kills per game average and a .308 attack percentage. The sophomore also earned Second-Team All-MPSF honors as Stanford ended the year tied for second place in the conference and reached the MPSF Tournament championship match.
No. 10 seed Miles Evans -- UC Santa Barbara, outside attacker Evans was among MPSF leaders and in the nation's top 20 with a 3.46 kills per game average. The junior also was third on the team with a 1.74 digs per game average as UC Santa Barbara finished tied for 10th place in the MPSF and did not qualify for the conference tournament.
No. 11 seed Matt Leske -- Ball State, middle attacker Leske led the MIVA and was eighth in the nation with a 1.32 blocks per game average. The sophomore also was a Second-Team All-MIVA selection as Ball State finished tied for fourth place in the MIVA and advanced to the MIVA Tournament semifinals.
No. 12 seed Matt Gallik – Lewis, middle attacker Gallik was among the MIVA leaders and in the nation's top 15 with a 1.14 blocks per game average. The senior also was named to the Second-Team All-MIVA as the Flyers won the MIVA championship and reached the Final Four for the first time in eight years.
No. 13 seed Taylor Hughes – Pacific, outside attacker Hughes was among the MPSF leaders and in the nation's top 25 with a 3.45 kills per game average. The junior earned Honorable Mention All-MPSF honors as the Tigers finished the MPSF in 10th place and missed the conference tournament.
No. 14 seed Michael Kvidahl -- George Mason, outside attacker Kvidahl was in the nation's top 35 with a 3.05 kills per game average and was fourth in the nation with a 0.55 aces per game average, including a match-high seven aces in the EIVA championship against Penn State. Kvidahl was a First-Team All-EIVA selection as George Mason finished in third place in the EIVA.
No. 15 seed Scott Warren – Limestone, outside attacker Warren, the Co-Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, led Limestone and was in the nation's top 35 with a 3.07 kills per game average. The junior also earned First-Team All-Conference Carolinas honors as Limestone finish in second place in the conference and reached the conference tournament semifinals.
No. 16 seed Brandon Rorer – King, libero Rorer in his senior season led the Conference Carolinas and was fourth in the nation with a 2.64 digs per game average. King ended the year in fifth place in the Conference Carolinas and did not qualify for the four-team conference tournament.
REID PRIDDY REGION
No. 1 seed Shawn Sangrey -- Ohio State, outside attacker Sangery, the MIVA Player of the Year, led the nation with a 5.03 kills per game average and was the only player to have more than 500 kills. The senior and First-Team All-American selection also had three matches with at least 30 kills, including 31 kills in a five-game loss in the MIVA championship match.
No. 2 seed Kyle Caldwell – UCLA, outside attacker Caldwell after moving from outside attacker to setter in the offseason ended his senior year in the nation's top 15 with a 10.16 assists per game average. He also was named a First-Team All-American as UCLA was in the nation's top five with a .321 attack percentage and reached the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.
No. 3 Jay Petty – Lewis, outside attacker Petty was second in the MIVA and sixth in the nation with a 4.01 kills per game average. The junior and Second- Team All-American selection was also in the nation's top 15 with a .318 attack percentage as he helped lead Lewis to its first MIVA title and Final Four appearance in eight years.
No. 4 seed Micah Christenson – USC, setter Christenson, the AVCA National Newcomer of the Year, was among conference leaders and eighth in the nation with a 10.75 assists per game average. The Second-Team All-American freshman also started every match as USC won the MPSF regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament championship match.
No. 5 seed BJ Boldog – Lewis, setter Boldog led the MIVA and was seventh in the nation with a 10.76 assists per game average and guided the Flyers’ offense to a conference-best .321 attack percentage. The sophomore was a Second-Team All-American selection as Lewis won to the MIVA championship and made its first Final Four appearance in eight years.
No. 6 seed Jeremy Dejno -- UC Irvine, outside attacker Dejno was 11th in the nation with a 0.38 aces per game average and was in the nation's top 40 with a 2.95 kills per game average. The sophomore was named to the First-Team All-MPSF, and the Anteaters won their third NCAA championship in the last six years.
No. 7 seed Matt Jones – Harvard, outside attacker Jones was ninth in the nation with a 3.83 kills per game average and in the nation's top 20 with a .305 attack percentage. The senior also was a First-Team All-EIVA selection as the Crimson were nationally ranked for the first time in program history and reached the four-team EIVA Tournament.
No. 8 seed Russell Lavaja – BYU, middle attacker Lavaja led the nation with 157 total blocks and was ranked sixth in the nation with a 1.42 blocks per game average. The junior earned Second-Team All-MPSF honors as BYU finished tied for second place in the MPSF and reached the conference tournament semifinals.
No. 9 seed Brady Smith – NJIT, libero Smith led the nation with a 2.77 digs per game average and was one of two players in the nation to have more than 300 digs. The junior was a Second-Team All-EIVA selection as NJIT finished the season in sixth place in the EIVA and missed the four-team conference tournament.
No. 10 seed Peter Jasaitis – Loyola, libero Jasaitis led the MIVA and was second in the nation with a 2.73 digs per game average. The sophomore also was a First-Team All-MIVA selection as the Ramblers finished in third place in the MIVA and reached the conference tournament semifinals.
No. 11 seed Matt West – Pepperdine, setter West was second in the nation with a 11.38 assists per game average and helped guide Pepperdine's offense to a .284 attack percentage. The freshman earned All-MPSF Freshman Team honors as Pepperdine ended the season in seventh place in the MPSF and reached the conference tournament quarterfinals.
No. 12 seed Julius Hoefer – Cal State Northridge, outside attacker Hoefer led Cal State Northridge and was in the nation's top 40 with a 2.98 kills per game average. He also was named to the All-MPSF Freshman Team as the Matadors ended the regular season in eighth place and reached the conference tournament quarterfinals.
No. 13 Nick Hunt -- Sacred Heart, outside attacker Hunt as a sophomore was among the EIVA leaders and in the nation's top 15 with a 3.66 kills per game average. Sacred Heart finished in last place in the EIVA and did not qualify for the four-team EIVA Tournament.
No. 14 seed Sean Daley – Pacific, middle attacker Daley led the nation with 26 solo blocks and was fifth in the nation with a 1.47 blocks per game average. The senior also was an Off the Block Blocker of the Year finalist as Pacific ended the year in 10th place in the MPSF and did not qualify for the conference tournament.
No. 15 seed Dan McDonnell -- UC Irvine, middle attacker McDonnell was in the nation's top 20 with a 0.30 aces per game average and 31 aces, including the NCAA championship-winning ace in overtime against USC. The senior also was named to the Second-Team All-MPSF as the Anteaters won their third NCAA championship in the last six years.
No. 16 seed Austin Pappas -- Rutgers-Newark, outside attacker Pappas was second in the nation with a 0.59 aces per game average and was in the nation's top 25 with a 3.41 kills per game average. Rutgers-Newark finished in seventh place in the EIVA and did not qualify for the four-team EIVA Tournament.
MATT ANDERSON REGION
No. 1 seed Carson Clark -- UC Irvine, outside attacker Clark was among MPSF leaders and 12th in the nation with a 3.73 kills per game average and was third in the nation averaging 0.55 aces per game average. The senior was also named a First-Team All-American as the Anteaters won the NCAA championship -- the program's second national title in the last four years.
No. 2 seed Brand Lawson – Stanford, outside attacker Lawson was fifth in the nation with a 4.10 kills per game average and in the nation's top 15 with a .327 attack percentage. The First-Team All-American selection was one of 10 players in the nation with at least 40 aces this year and ended his senior season helping Stanford reach the MPSF championship match.
No. 3 seed Maurice Torres -- Pepperdine, outside attacker Torres was eighth in the nation with a 3.98 kills per game average and tied for ninth in the nation with a 0.42 aces per game average. The junior and Second-Team All-American was also among the nation's top 20 with a .307 attack percentage as Pepperdine reach the eight-team MPSF Tournament.
No. 4 seed Joe Sunder -- Penn State, outside attacker Sunder, the back-to-back EIVA Player of the Year, was among the conference leaders and in the nation's top 20 with a 3.52 kills per game average. The senior Second-Team All-American selection also was in the nation's top 10 with a .330 attack percentage. Penn State won its 14th consecutive EIVA championship and reached the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
No. 5 seed Henry Cassiday – USC, libero Cassiday was among the conference leaders and in the nation's top 20 with a 2.19 digs per game average. The sophomore was a Second-Team All-American selection as the Trojans won the MPSF regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament championship match.
No. 6 seed Steven Hunt -- Hawai'I, outside attacker Hunt was second in the MPSF and third in the nation with a 4.15 kills per game average. The senior was also named to the Second-Team All-MPSF and was the only Warrior to earn all-conference honors as Hawai'i finished in last place in the MPSF.
No. 7 seed Mike Bunting – Loyola, outside attacker Bunting, the 2011 Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year, was in the nation's top 15 with a 3.64 kills per game average. The senior also earned First-Team All-MIVA honors as the Ramblers finished in third place in the conference and advanced to the MIVA Tournament semifinals.
No. 8 seed Ben Ponnet -- Grand Canyon, outside attacker Ponnet was among the MIVA leaders and in the nation's top 15 with a 3.63 kills per game average and was in the nation's top 50 in attack percentage. The sophomore also was named to the First-Team All-MIVA as Grand Canyon finished tied for fourth place in the MIVA.
No. 9 seed Piotr Dabrowski -- George Mason, middle attacker Dabrowski led the nation with 157 blocks and was fourth in the nation with a 1.48 blocks per game average. The junior was a Second-Team All-EIVA selection as George Mason finished in third place in the EIVA and reached the conference tournament championship match.
No. 10 seed Robb Stowell – BYU, outside attacker Stowell was in the nation's top 35 with both a 3.32 kills per game average and a .258 attack percentage. The senior also earned Second-Team All-MPSF honors as BYU finished the regular season tied for second place in the MPSF and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals.
No. 11 seed Robert Feathers – USC, middle attacker Feathers, the 2012 Off the Block Blocker of the Year, led the nation with a 1.60 blocks per game average and was one of two players in the nation with more than 150 total blocks. He also was named to the All-MPSF Freshman Team as USC won the conference regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament championship match.
No. 12 seed Taylor Crabb -- Long Beach, outside attacker Crab was second on Long Beach State and in the nation's top 50 with a 2.75 digs per game average. Crabb was a Second-Team All-MPSF selection as Long Beach State finished in sixth place in the MPSF and reached the conference tournament quarterfinals.
No. 13 seed Carl Eberts -- UC San Diego, outside attacker Eberts led UC San Diego and was in the nation's top 35 with a 3.29 kills per game average. The junior also was a Honorable Mention All-MPSF selection as UC San Diego finished the MPSF in ninth place to miss the conference tournament.
No. 14 seed Efrain Negron -- Lees-McRae, libero Negron was second in the Conference Carolinas and fifth in the nation with a 2.58 digs per game average. The sophomore also was a First-Team All-Conference Carolinas selection as Lees-McRae ended the season in fourth place in the Conference Carolinas and reached the conference tournament semifinals.
No. 15 seed D.J. White – Harvard, outside attacker White was in the nation's top 15 with a .319 attack percentage and among the nation's top 50 with a 2.76 kills per game average. The freshman also was a First-Team All-EIVA selection as Harvard was nationally ranked for the first time in program history and reached the EIVA Tournament.
No. 16 seed Steven Battaglia – Quincy, middle attacker Battaglia was among the MIVA leaders and seventh in the nation with a .345 attack percentage while adding a team-high 0.88 blocks per game average. The sophomore was a Second-Team All-MIVA selection as Quincy ended the season in last place in the conference.