Three finalists announced for annual Lloy Ball Award

A nationwide voting committee selected USC setter Micah Christenson, Loyola setter Peter Hutz and Pepperdine setter Matt West as finalists for the annual Lloy Ball Award.

The Lloy Ball Award is given to the nation’s best setter in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season.


Christenson ended the regular season seventh in the nation with a 10.59 assists per game average and led the MPSF with a 0.43 aces per game average. The All-American senior and 2014 Lloy Ball Award winner also helped lead the Trojans to a top-four finish in the MPSF.

Hutz was second in the nation with a 11.44 assists per game average and guided the Ramblers’ offense to a conference-best .356 attack percentage. In addition, the all-conference junior helped Loyola remain No. 1 in the national coaches poll for the majority of the season and earn the No. 2 seed for the MIVA Tournament.

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West had a nation-best 1,102 assists and was third in the nation with a 11.24 assists per game average. The All-American senior also guided the Waves’ offense to the nation’s fourth-best attack percentage at .341 as Pepperdine earned a top-three seed for the MPSF Tournament.

The voting committee for the Lloy Ball Award was comprised of more than 30 college men’s volleyball head coaches and volleyball reporters from around the nation. The annual award is named after former U.S. Olympian and IPFW All-American setter Lloy Ball.

The overall winner of the Lloy Ball Award will be announced Monday, April 27.

This is the second year that Off the Block has presented the Lloy Ball Award.

The Lloy Ball Award is one of several end of season awards presented by Off the Block. Among the other national awards includes the Karch Kiraly Award to the nation’s top outside attacker, the Bryan Ivie Award to the nation’s top opposite, Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Server of the Year and the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Blocker of the Year.

Off the Block is a national award winning college men’s volleyball website that launched in January 2011.

LLOY BALL AWARD: VOTING RESULTS
Finalists (listed alphabetically)
Micah Christenson, USC
Peter Hutz, Loyola
Matt West, Pepperdine
Others receiving votes
4. Jennings Franciskovic, Hawai’i
5. David Specian, Pfeiffer
T-6. Jonah Seif, UC Santa Barbara
T-6. Michael Saeta, UC Irvine
8. James Shaw, Stanford
9. Omar Rivera, IPFW