American International outside named Independent Teams Player of Week

An outside attacker who helped lead American International to its victory in program history is now earning a college men’s volleyball honor.

Off the Block announced Monday that John Rivera Ortiz was selected as the Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week.

The freshman outside attacker from Puerto Rico had 25 kills, 10 digs, five blocks and a couple of aces in a pair of matches for the Yellow Jackets this past Saturday. In their win over Sage, Ortiz had 15 kills on a .353 attack percentage. Ortiz has led the team in kills in four of the five matches they have played this year.

The 11 independent teams in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball this season are Alderson Broaddus, American International, Daemen, D’Youville, Fairleigh Dickinson Limestone, Lincoln Memorial, Long Island, Maryville, Queens and Tusculum.

Off the Block determines the Independent Teams Player of the Week based on a variety of factors, including a player’s individual performance and how a player’s team fared during the week.

The winner of the Independent Teams Player of the Week is unveiled every week during the regular season on the Off the Block website, offtheblockblog.com.

Off the Block is a national award winning website that started in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.