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The setter who led Lewis to its first MIVA championship in seven years is earning the top individual honor for a Division II player.
Off the Block announced Friday that a nationwide voting committee selected Matt Yoshimoto as the 2019 Division II National Player of the Year.
The Division II National Player of the Year is awarded to the nation’s best player on a NCAA Division II men’s volleyball team during the regular season. While Division I and Division II schools compete for the same national championship and individual awards, this award is the only national player of the year solely for Division II players.
Yoshimoto, the MIVA Player of the Year, entered the NCAA Tournament eighth in the nation with a 9.95 assists per game average and guided the Flyers to the seventh-best attack percentage in the nation at .322. The setter also led the nation with a 0.66 aces per game average as he helped Lewis win the MIVA championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
A voting committee of about 20 men’s volleyball coaches and volleyball media members from around the nation determined the winner of the Division II National Player of the Year.
The top three vote-getters were named finalists for the national honor.
Yoshimoto received 38 votes to beat the runner-up Barton opposite Angelos Mandilaris by 14 votes. In addition, the other finalist Lincoln Memorial opposite Evan Cory finished in third place with 13 votes.
This is the third year that Off the Block has presented the Division II National Player of the Year. Former UC San Diego opposite Tanner Syftestad won the award the first two seasons.
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.
Division II National Player of the Year voting results
1. Matt Yoshimoto, Lewis — 38 points
2. Angelos Mandilaris, Barton — 24 points
3. Evan Cory, Lincoln Memorial — 13 points
4. Tyler Mitchem, Lewis — 8 points
T-5. Chandler Gibb, Concordia-Irvine — 3 points
T-5. Liam Maxwell, Belmont Abbey — 3 points
T-7. Ryan Coenen, Lewis — 2 points
T-7. Oscar Fiorentino, Barton — 2 points
T-9. Ryan Barsemian, Concordia-Irvine — 1 point
T-9. Rayn Serrano, McKendree — 1 point