Finalists unveiled for OTB, Frisco Mo National Player of Month

Off the Block selected the finalists, and now it is up to the fans to determine who should be the college men’s volleyball National Player of the Month.

The Off the Block/Frisco Mo National Player of the Month recognizes the best individual performances from NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball players during the month and gives volleyball fans from around the world the chance to determine who was the best player.

The National Player of the Month is a two-round tournament with the fans deciding the winner through online voting on the Off the Block website.

Finalists in the first round are placed into one of five ballots based on their position. The five winners on the position ballots will advance to the championship round, along with the runner-up who received the most votes.

The online poll for the first round is now open and closes at 10 p.m. (CST) Tuesday. The championship round will be a two-day voting event with the polls closing at 10 p.m. (CST) Thursday.

While there are several weekly awards in college men’s volleyball, this is the only monthly national award presented in the sport. It is also one of the two national awards determined solely by the fans.

Check out the finalists below and cast your vote for the National Player of the Month in January.

Cole Bogner, Penn State — Guided Penn State to more than a .300 attack percentage in back-to-back matches during the weekend
Heath Hughes, Grand Canyon — Guided the offense to a .406 attack percentage and had a match-high 12 digs in a sweep against No. 12 Concordia-Irvine
Kevin Kauling, Lewis — Guided Lewis to a conference-best .318 attack percentage in January and had multiple blocks in four matches
Sam Kobrine, UCLA — Had 40 assists and guided the offense to a .341 attack percentage in a sweep against No. 10/10 Grand Canyon
Garrett Zolg, Loyola — Guided Loyola in January to the MIVA’s second-best attack percentage at .314 and had multiple aces in three consecutive matches

Joshua Kim, King — Entered the weekend seventh in the nation with a 3.80 kills per game average
Andrew Kohut, Belmont Abbey — Entered the weekend second in the nation with a 5.00 kills per game average
Blake Reardon, Ball State — Had more than 20 kills in three matches
Omari Wheeler, Quincy — Entered the weekend eighth in the nation with a 3.78 kills per game average

Tobi Azeez, Mount Olive — 24 kills and 15 digs in a five-game win against Queens
Raymond Barsemian, Concordia-Irvine — Had at least 20 kills in three consecutive matches
Ryan Coenen, Lewis — Entered the weekend ninth in the nation with a 3.70 kills per game average
Cole Schlothauer, Loyola — Had at least 15 kills and a .350 attack percentage in all four matches.
Spencer Wickens, Pepperdine — Entered the weekend fifth in the nation with a 4.12 kills per game average

Bradley Creamer, George Mason — Ended the month with a .604 attack percentage and at least five blocks in three matches
Lucas Galifos, McKendree — Had 10 blocks in a sweep against Lincoln Memorial
Tyler Mitchem, Lewis — Ended the month with a .512 attack percentage and at least four blocks in three matches
TJ Murray, Lewis — Ended the month with a .472 attack percentage and at least four blocks in four matches
JP Payne, Queens — Ended the month with at least five blocks in four matches and a .366 attack percentage
Dawson Walker, Lincoln Memorial — Ended the month with at least five blocks in three matches and a .268 attack percentage

Trey Cole, Pepperdine — Had 18 digs in a season-opening win against No. 12 Concordia-Irvine
Trevor Kennan, George Mason — Had a combined 29 digs in a two-match series against Ball State
Christian Phung, North Greenville — Had 12 digs in a season-opening win against Tusculum
Michal Podgorzak, Limestone — Had double-digit digs in two of Limestone’s three matches during the month