Season Preview: Contenders for the 2014 National Player of Year award

Good luck trying to predict who will win the biggest individual award in college men’s volleyball for the upcoming season.

The two National Player of the Year winners from last year, BYU outside attacker Taylor Sander and Long Beach State outside attacker Taylor Crabb, return for their senior seasons. However, the field remains wide open in the race for 2014 National Player of the Year.
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Top 10 most viewed stories on Off the Block during 2013

With the year coming to a close, there is plenty that people will remember about college men’s volleyball in 2013.

From the high points of NCAA Tournament expansion and national champions being crowned to the low points of a university ending its men’s volleyball program, there were tons newsworthy items during the year. In addition, it was a memorable year for Off the Block as the website picked up its first national award for volleyball coverage and set a personal record for most online page views in a single-year.

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Season Preview: 5 teams that may surprise everyone in 2014

There are teams that have high preseason expectations and than there are those teams that enter a season will little fanfare but become the biggest surprises of the year.

Whether it’s Long Beach State last year overcoming little preseason hype to almost reach the NCAA Tournament or UC Santa Barbara’s postseason run to the 2011 NCAA finals, each season tends to feature teams that surprise everyone.

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Season Preview: Dark horse teams that could crash 2014 NCAA Tournament

Everyone loves an underdog team that has the capabilities of making a surprise postseason run.

While there are preseason favorites in every college men’s volleyball conference, there are those teams that enter the year with little preseason fanfare but could crash the NCAA Tournament at the end of the season.

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BYU, Ohio State, Ball State most followed men’s volleyball teams on Twitter

BYU may not be opening the season No. 1 in the national coaches poll but it will start the year atop the social media rankings for college men’s volleyball teams.

A recent search of NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team Twitter accounts showed that BYU as the 2014 regular season begins later this week leads all teams by more than 1,000 followers.

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Season Preview: Preseason favorites to win 2014 NCAA championship

It’s that time of year when every team is hopeful, but there are those select teams have good reason to be even more optimistic about their chances of ending the year as NCAA champions.

With the regular season starting in less than a week, several teams begin the year as the favorites to be crowned national champions in May.
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