A record-setting season for senior Owen Rose is ending with a national honor
Off the Block announced Sunday that a nationwide voting committee selected Rose as the recipient of the 206 National Blocker of the Year.
The Off the Block National Blocker of the Year recognizes the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball player with the best front-row defensive performance during the regular season.
Rose led the nation with both 156 blocks and a 1.42 blocks per game average as Penn State won the EIVA championship. The middle attacker also had more than five blocks in 10 matches and set a single-match school record with 14 blocks against Harvard in February.
The voting committee for the National Blocker of the Year was comprised of coaches and media members from around the nation. The top three vote-getters were named finalists for the National Blocker of the Year.
Rose garnered 30 votes to edge out the runner-up USC middle attacker Parker Tomkinson by 18 votes. Long Beach State middle attacker Jackson Cryst finished in third place.
This is the 16th year that Off the Block has presented the National Blocker of the Year.
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.
2026 National Blocker of the Year voting results
1. Owen Rose, Penn State – 30 votes
2. Parker Tomkinson, USC – 12 votes
3. Jackson Cryst, Long Beach State – 4 votes
T-4. Ben Braun, Long Beach State – 3 votes
T-4. Cameron Thorne, UCLA – 3 votes
T-4. Justin Todd, Hawai’i – 3 votes
7. Shawn Baggs, Lewis – 2 votes