It’s a repeat for UCLA middle attacker Cameron Thorne.
Off the Block announced Wednesday that a nationwide voting committee for the second consecutive year selected Thorne as the recipient of the Dain Blanton Diversity Award.
The Dain Blanton Diversity Award, which is named after the former Pepperdine All-American and U.S. Olympian, recognizes the top NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball player during the regular season of a minority ethnicity.
This is the only national award in college men’s volleyball created specifically to celebrate the outstanding individual performances of minority players. Players of all backgrounds have significantly contributed throughout the history of college men’s volleyball helping teams win NCAA championships and earning numerous All-American honors.
Thorne finished the season with a .509 attack percentage and had double-digit kills in six matches. The senior also was in the top 10 of the MPSF with a 0.91 blocks per game average as UCLA won the MPSF championship and was ranked No. 1 in the national polls throughout the regular season.
The voting committee for the Dain Blanton Diversity Award was comprised of college men’s volleyball head coaches and volleyball media members from around the nation. The top-three vote-getters were named finalists for this national award.
Thorne received 28 votes to edge the runner-up CSUN opposite Jalen Phillips by 17 votes. Hawai’i outside attacker Louis Sakanoko finished in third place with seven votes.
This is the eighth year that Off the Block has presented the Dain Blanton Diversity 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.
2026 Dain Blanton Diversity Award voting results
1. Cameron Thorne, UCLA – 28 votes
2. Jalen Phillips, CSUN – 11 votes
3. Louis Sakanoko, Hawai’i – 7 votes
4. Trevor Clark, UC Irvine – 5 votes
5. Isaiah Fedd, Fort Valley State – 4 votes
6. Jordan Lucas, CSUN – 3 votes
7. Chris Connelly, UCLA – 2 votes