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The libero who helped George Mason close out the month in contention for the EIVA title is earning a national award for his performance.
Will Calaman was selected on Sunday as the Off Block Block National Player of the Month for February.
The Off the Block National Player of the Month recognizes the best individual performances from NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball players during the month and gives fans from around the world the chance to determine who was the best player through online voting. It is also the only college men’s volleyball national monthly award.
Calaman had double-digit digs in four February matches, including a season-high 12 digs in a sweep against No. 12 Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 9. He also had a team-high 10 digs as George Mason swept Penn State on Feb. 22 to move into second place in the EIVA.
The National Player of the Month is comprised of two rounds of voting.
The first round placed candidate on one of five ballots based on their position. Each winner and the runner-up from all the ballots who received the most votes qualified for the championship round.
Calaman revived more than 1,500 combined votes in both rounds and won the Libero Division to reach the finals.
In the championship round, Calaman garnered 870 votes and 39.7 percent of the vote. UC Santa Barbara outside attacker Corey Chavers finished in second place with 27.6 percent of the vote.
The National Player of the Month is one of two awards solely determined by the fans. Similar to the monthly award, the Off the Block Fan Choice National Player of the Year is an annual event at the end of the season with fans deciding the winner of this 64-player bracket-style tournament through online voting.
As a National Player of the Month, Calaman will receive an automatic berth to the Fan Choice National Player of the Year Tournament.
Off the Block was founded in 2011 and is the nation’s leaders in college men’s volleyball coverage.