Off the Block unveiled Tuesday the finalists for all 11 of the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball national awards that it annually presents.
A nationwide voting committee of NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball coaches and volleyball media determined the finalists and winners. The top three vote-getters for each award were named finalists, and the individual receiving the most votes will be named the award winner.
Check out all the awards and the players selected as finalists. The award winners will be announced throughout the next two weeks.
Off the Block is a national award winning media website that launched in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.
LLOY BALL AWARD
The Lloy Ball Award is given to the nation’s best setter in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The annual award is named after the former U.S. Olympic gold medalist and IPFW All-American setter Lloy Ball and is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 Lloy Ball Award finalists:
Lucas Machado, Ball State
Tread Rosenthal, Hawai’i
Andrew Rowan, UCLA
BRYAN IVIE AWARD
The Bryan Ivie Award is given to the nation’s best opposite in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The annual award is named after the former U.S. Olympian and USC All-American opposite Bryan Ivie and is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 Bryan Ivie Award finalists:
Cole Hartke, Pepperdine
Jalen Phillips, CSUN
Kristian Titriyski, Hawai’i
KARCH KIRALY AWARD
The Karch Kiraly Award is given to the nation’s best outside attacker in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The annual award is named after the former U.S. Olympic gold medalist and UCLA All-American outside attacker and is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 Karch Kiraly Award finalists:
Sean Kelly, UCLA
Dillon Klein, USC
Patrick Rogers, Ball State
RYAN MILLAR AWARD
The Ryan Millar Award is given to the nation’s best middle attacker in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The annual award is named after former BYU All-American and U.S. Olympian Ryan Millar and is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 Ryan Millar Award finalists:
Trevor Clark, UC Irvine
Jackson Cryst, Long Beach State
Owen Rose, Penn State
Cameron Thorne, UCLA
ERIK SHOJI AWARD
The Erik Shoji Award is given to the nation’s best libero in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The annual award is named after the current U.S. starting libero and former Stanford All-American libero Erik Shoji and is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 Erik Shoji Award finalists:
Shane Aitken, UC Irvine
Kellen Larson, Long Beach State
Ryan Merk, Penn State
DIVISION II NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Division II National Player of the year is given to the nation’s best player on a NCAA Division II men’s volleyball team during the regular season. A nationwide voting committee of coaches and media members select the winner of the award.
2026 Division II National Player of the Year finalists:
Nate Flayter, McKendree
Daniel Haber, Lewis
Isaiah Fedd, Fort Valley State
NICOLAS SZERSZEN AWARD
The Nicolas Szerszen Award is presented to the best non-U.S. born player in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The annual award is named after the former Ohio State All-American outside attacker. It is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 Nicolas Szerszen Award finalists:
Andrej Jokanovic, UC Irvine
Louis Sakanoko, Hawai’i
Skyler Varga, Long Beach State
STEVE SHONDELL AWARD
The Steve Shondell Award recognizes the best passer in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. The annual national award is named after the Hall of Fame coach and former Ball State setter and is determined by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 Steve Shondell Award finalists:
Shane Aitken, UC Irvine
Sean Kelly, UCLA
Ryan Merk, Penn State
DAIN BLANTON DIVERSITY AWARD
The Dain Blanton Diversity Award recognizes the top NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball player during the regular season of a minority ethnicity. The annual national award is named after former Pepperdine outside attacker and Olympic gold medalist Dain Blanton and is determined by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 Dain Blanton Diversity Award finalists:
Jalen Phillips, CSUN
Louis Sakanoko, Hawai’i
Cameron Thorne, UCLA
NATIONAL BLOCKER OF THE YEAR
The National Blocker of the Year is annually awarded to the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball player with the best front-row defensive performance during the regular season. This was the first national award organized by Off the Block and each year is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 National Blocker of the Year finalists:
Jackson Cryst, Long Beach State
Owen Rose, Penn State
Parker Tomkinson, USC
NATIONAL SERVER OF THE YEAR
The National Server of the Year recognizes the top individual serving performance from a NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball player during the regular season. The annual award is selected by a nationwide voting committee of college men’s volleyball coaches and media members.
2026 National Server of the Year finalists:
Patrick Rogers, Ball State
Andrew Rowan, UCLA
Zach Solomon, Lindenwood