The accolades keep coming for Hawai’i libero ‘Eleu Choy.
Off the Block announced Friday that a nationwide voting committee selected Choy as the winner of the 2025 Steve Shondell Award.
The Steve Shondell Award is presented to the nation’s best passer in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The award is named after the Hall of Fame coach and former Ball State setter Steve Shondell.
Choy had a team-high 720 service receptions and a 94.4 percent successful passing rating as Hawai’i finished with the nation’s sixth-best attack percentage at .355. The libero also had one combined reception error in the Rainbow Warriors’ two NCAA Tournament matches.
The voting committee for the Steve Shondell Award was comprised of more than 25 college men’s volleyball head coaches and volleyball reporters from around the nation. The top four vote-getters were named finalists for the Steve Shondell Award.
Choy received 17 votes to edge out the runner-up McKendree libero Yadiel Diaz by five votes. Pepperdine libero Jacob Reilly finished in third place with 11 votes – one more vote than Long Beach State libero Kellen Larson.
This is the sixth year that Off the Block has presented the Steve Shondell Award.
Off the Block is a national award winning website that launched in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.
2025 Steve Shondell Award voting results
1. ‘Eleu Choy, Hawai’i – 17 votes
2. Yadiel Diaz, McKendree – 12 votes
3. Jacob Reilly, Pepperdine – 11 votes
4. Kellen Larson, Long Beach State – 10 votes
T-5. Luca Colombo, Mount Olive – 5 votes
T-5. Johnny Dykstra, USC – 5 votes
T-5. Ryan Merk, Penn State – 5 votes
T-8. Shane Aitken, UC Irvine – 3 votes
T-8. Tate Colebaugh, Lincoln Memorial – 3 votes
T-8. Dillon Klein, USC – 3 votes
T-8. Makana Melchor, Menlo – 3 votes
T-8. Jake Read, Loyola – 3 votes
T-8. Cooper Robinson, UCLA – 3 votes
T-8. Makai Scott, Maryville – 3 votes
T-15. Andrew Deardorff, Saint Francis – 2 votes
T-15. Daniel Fablkovic, Loyola – 2 votes
T-15. Nico Paula, Lewis – 2 votes
T-15. Patrick Rogers, Ball State – 2 votes
T-19. Zac Clark, Maryville – 1 vote
T-19. Hilir Henno, UC Irvine – 1 vote
T-19. Chris Karnezis, CSUN – 1 vote
T-19. Adrien Roure, Hawai’i – 1 vote
T-19. Matthew Thornton, Grand Canyon – 1 vote
T-19. Skyler Varga, Long Beach State – 1 vote
T-19. Tyler Vasquez, Thomas More – 1 vote