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Two freshmen who had their best offensive performances of the season are earning a share of a national award.
Off the Block announced Monday that Lees-McRae outside attacker Wes Rogman and UC Irvine middle attacker Scott Stadick were named the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Co-National Freshman of the Week.
Rogman had a combined 42 kills in three conference victories last week to help Lees-McRae clinch its first berth to the Conference Carolinas Tournament since 2014. He also hit more than .300 in two of those matches, including having a season-high 16 kills on a .333 attack percentage in a four-game victory against Belmont Abbey on Tuesday.
Stadick finished with a season-high 15 kills on a .667 attack percentage and had a team-high four blocks as No. 5/5 UC Irvine defeated No. 8/8 Pepperdine in four games on Saturday.
This is the second time this season that Stadick has been named the National Freshman of the Week. In addition, Rogman is the first Lees-McRae player in the four-year history of the award to earn the national honor.
The Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Freshman of the Week is presented each week during the regular season to the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball freshman who had the most outstanding performance. The winner is announced every Monday during the regular season on the Off the Block website, offtheblockblog.com.
Each of the four NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball conferences have an opportunity each week to nominate one player for the National Freshman of the Week. In addition, fans and teams can nominate a player for the National Freshman of the Week by tweeting their nominee to the official Twitter account of Off the Block, @offtheblock11.
Off the Block is a website that started in January 2011 and has become the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.
Springbak, Inc. is the official sponsor of the 2017 Freshmen All-American Team and National Freshman of the Week and produces high performance footwear used by professional athletes from the NFL, NBA, MLB and U.S. Olympic teams and the top college teams in the nation.
National Freshman of the Week honorable mentions
Ryan Coenen, Lewis — Coenen finished with a match-high 16 kills and added two blocks as No. 7/7 Lewis rallied from a two-game deficit to beat No. 13 Penn State in five games on Friday. He also led all players with 12 kills on a .529 attack percentage in a sweep against St. Francis on Saturday.
Sam Schindler, Lindenwood — Schindler had a match-high four blocks along with seven kills on a .545 attack percentage in a sweep against Quincy on Saturday.
Ian Cowen, Loyola — Cowen had 39 assists and guided the offense to a .376 attack percentage in a four-game victory against No. 13 Penn State on Saturday. He also had six digs and helped No. 10 Loyola hit .330 in a sweep against St. Francis on Friday.
George Huhmann, Princeton — Huhmann had a combined 22 kills on a .559 attack percentage as Princeton split a two-match road series against Grand Canyon. The middle attacker finished with a season-high 14 kills on a .619 attack percentage and added a match-high eight blocks to help Princeton win the series opener in five games on Thursday.
Angelos Mandilaris, Barton — Mandilaris had a match-high 15 kills and led Barton with five blocks in a near upset five-game loss to George Mason on Friday. He also had a match-high five aces and added nine kills on a .400 attack percentage in a four-game victory against Pfeiffer on Saturday.
Liam Maxwell, Belmont Abbey — Maxwell finished with a match-high 15 kills on a .444 attack percentage and three aces in a three-game loss to Cal Baptist on Friday. He also had a team-high 12 kills and added six digs in a four-game loss to Lees-McRae on Tuesday.
Will Stanley, BYU — Stanley coming off the bench midway through the match had 36 assists and helped the team finish with a .255 attack percentage as No. 3/3 BYU defeated No. 1/2 Long Beach State in a fifth-game overtime.
Lucas Lossone, USC — Lossone had 14 kills on a .500 attack percentage in a non-conference sweep against Concordia-Irvine on Friday.