Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year: First Round

Off the Blocked selected and seeded the 65 players in a bracket, and now it is up to the fans to determine who should win the Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year.

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 decide the winner through online voting.

The seven-round tournament continues Thursday with first-round matches in the Clay Stanley and Reid Priddy regions.

Online voting for these first-round matches will end at 11 p.m. (EST) Thursday. In addition, to view results from first-round matches on Wednesday in the Ryan Millar and Matt Anderson regions click here.


CLAY STANLEY REGION FIRST ROUND

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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. 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.

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No. 2 seed Kevin Tillie — UC Irvine, outside attacker
Tillie in his first season in the NCAA after he transferred 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. 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.


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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. 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.

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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.
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.

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No. 5 seed Joseph Smalzer — Loyola, outside attacker
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. 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.

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No. 6 seed 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. 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.

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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. 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.

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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.



REID PRIDDY REGION FIRST ROUND

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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. 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.

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No. 2 seed Kyle Caldwell – UCLA, outside attacker
Caldwell after moving from outside attacker to setter in the off-season 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. 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.

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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. 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.

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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. 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.

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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. 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.

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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. 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.

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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. 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.

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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.