Queens middle named Independent Teams Player of Week

A senior who led Queens to three victories last week is earning a college men’s volleyball honor.

Off the Block announced Monday that middle attacker JP Payne was selected as the Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week.

Payne finished with 11 kills on a .643 attack percentage and added a team-high five blocks as Queens defeated Lincoln Memorial in five games Saturday to remain undefeated against independent teams this season.

This was the third consecutive match that Payne hit at least .500.

The middle attacker had five kills on a .500 attack percentage and five blocks in a sweep against Lees-McRae on Tuesday. Payne also had six kills and zero errors while hitting .667 in a sweep versus King on Wednesday.

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 eight independent teams this season are Alderson Broaddus, Daemen, D’Youville, Limestone, Lincoln Memorial, Queens, St. Francis Brooklyn and Tusculum.

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 week 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.