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Twelve college men’s volleyball players have been selected to the 2015 watch list for a new national award this upcoming season.
Off the Block on Monday announced the watch list for the inaugural Bryan Ivie Award, which is presented to the best opposite in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season.
Among the players making the watch list includes three Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Preseason All-Americans — Penn State senior Nick Goodell, UC Irvine senior Zack La Cavera and Princeton senior Cody Kessel.
The watch list for the inaugural Bryan Ivie Award was determined by Off the Block using a variety of factors including player performances from previous seasons and projections on standout opposites to watch during the upcoming season.
The winner of the Bryan Ivie Award will be selected at the end of the regular season by a nationwide voting committee comprised of coaches and media members. The top-three vote-getters will be named finalists, while the opposite receiving the most votes will be the recipient of the Bryan Ivie Award presented by Off the Block.
This award was named after former USC All-American opposite Bryan Ivie, who remains one of the few players in college men’s volleyball history to twice win the National Player of the Year award. The decision to name the national opposite of the year after a player was done in an effort to honor and incorporate the history of college volleyball into this award.
The Bryan Ivie Award is one of three position-based national awards presented in college men’s volleyball. Off the Block also presents the Lloy Ball Award to the nation’s best setter and the National Outside Attacker of the Year award.
Off the Block is a national award winning website that covers college men’s volleyball and launched in January 2011.
2015 BRYAN IVIE AWARD WATCH LIST
Kajetan Borecki, NJIT
Tim Dobbert, BYU
Jack Gamche, Quincy
Nick Goodell, Penn State
Colin Hackworth, Lindenwood
Parker Kalmbach, Pepperdine
Cody Kessel, Princeton
Zack La Cavera, UC Irvine
Andrew Lutz, Ohio State
Cody Martin, Long Beach State
Andrew Sellan, IPFW
Chad Stanback Jr., Barton
BRYAN IVIE AWARD WATCH LIST PLAYER BIOS
Kajetan Borecki, NJIT
Borecki led NJIT and was among the EIVA leaders with a 2.78 kills per game average last season. The senior also helped the Highlanders end to the 2014 season in seventh place in the EIVA.
Tim Dobbert, BYU
Dobbert last season was among the MPSF freshmen leaders with a 2.45 kills per game average and added eight kills, six blocks and a career-high 10 digs in the NCAA Tournament semifinals against Stanford. In addition, Dobbert was named to the MPSF All-Freshmen Team as he helped BYU win the MPSF championship.
Jack Gamche, Quincy
Gamche finished last season in the top 15 of the MIVA with both a 2.72 kills per game average and 45 aces. The junior also helped Quincy last year reach the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals before losing to the eventual NCAA champions Loyola.
Nick Goodell, Penn State
Goodell was second in the EIVA and among the national leaders averaging 3.79 kills per game last season. The junior also earned First-Team All-EIVA honors in 2014 as he helped Penn State win the EIVA championship and reach the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
Colin Hackworth, Lindenwood
Hackworth was in the nation’s top 25 with a 3.59 kills per game average last season and was second in the MIVA with 50 aces. The senior in 2014 also earned Second-Team All-MIVA honors for the second consecutive year as Lindenwood reached the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals.
Parker Kalmbach, Pepperdine
Despite missing the end of the 2014 season with an injury, Kalmbach finished in the nation’s top 25 with a 3.47 kills per game average. The senior also was a Second-Team All-MPSF selection last season as he helped lead Pepperdine to a share of the MPSF regular season championship.
Cody Kessel, Princeton
Kessel finished last season third in the EIVA and was among the national leaders with a 3.52 kills per game average. The senior also earned First-Team All-EIVA honors last season as Princeton reached the EIVA Tournament championship match for the first time since 2010.
Zack La Cavera, UC Irvine
La Cavera was in the nation’s top 25 with a 3.47 kills per game average and helped the Anteaters reach the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals. The senior in the off-season also helped lead United States to a silver-medal finish at the Pan American Cup.
Andrew Lutz, Ohio State
Lutz was among the MIVA and national leaders last season with a 3.59 kills per game average and had double-digit kills in 16 matches. The senior also earned Second-Team All-MIVA honors in 2014 as Ohio State advanced to the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals.
Cody Martin, Long Beach State
Martin became the 49ers’ starting opposite late in the 2014 season and in all four of his starts had double-digit kills. The junior last season also had 16 kills and nine digs in Long Beach State’s season-ending loss to Pepperdine in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.
Andrew Sellan, IPFW
Sellan was in the top 10 of the MIVA last season with both a 3.22 kills per game average and 33 aces. The junior also was a 2014 First-Team All-MIVA selection as IPFW won its first postseason match since 2007 and reached the conference tournament semifinals.
Chad Stanback Jr., Barton
Stanback ended last season among the Conference Carolinas with a 2.58 kills per game average. In addition, the sophomore had 10 kills against Limestone in the conference tournament quarterfinals to help Barton win its first postseason match in program history.