Queens outside Esquivel named Independent Teams Player of Week

Outside attacker Gregory Esquivel made the most of his first significant playing time in almost a month and has earned a college men’s volleyball award.

Off the Blocked announced on Monday that Esquivel was selected as the Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week.

Esquivel coming off the bench in the first game finished with 12 kills and a season-high 10 digs as Queens defeated Lincoln Memorial in five games on Friday. The transfer from Coker also added two aces to help the first-year program Royals earn their first win versus an independent team.

This is the second consecutive week and third time this season that a Queens player has received Independent Teams Player of the Week. Libero Conner Nagaki earned the honor last week, while middle attack Aleksandar Perisic won the award in February.

The Independent Teams Player of the Week recognizes the best player during the week from NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball teams that are competing without a conference affiliation. The four independent teams this season are Alderson Broaddus, Coker, Lincoln Memorial and Queens.

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 Monday 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.