It is a great privilege to announce the newest feature of our coverage here at The Pond, the FrogJump Team of the Week. Inspired by the award given by D3hoops and D3football, we hope to feature the best of Division 3 Men’s Volleyball on a weekly basis, recognizing some of the top performances from the previous week of matches throughout the D3VB Landscape.
We select 7 individuals each week (2 Outside Hitters, 2 Middle Blockers, 1 Libero, 1 Opposite, and 1 Setter) whose efforts are worthy of national recognition. Athletes are nominated by the Coaches / Sports Information Directors of their respective programs and selected by a committee of FrogJump staff.
Josh Bigford – Outside Hitter – St. John Fisher
Vintage Josh Bigford has returned, starting off 2022 with a pair of dominant performances against Geneva and Medaille.
Josh had a combined 26 kills on a .510 hitting percentage through both games, leading the Cardinals to a 2-0 start before their match versus Medaille.
Jack Fyda – Outside Hitter – Stevens Institute of Technology
Jack Fyda opens 2022 on a tear. In the Ducks tri-match versus Lasell and St. Josephs (LI), Fyda reminded everyone in the gym why he is a former 1st-Team All-MAC selection. He began his Saturday with an 11-2-25 (.360) drubbing of Lasell, followed by an incredibly efficient 7-1-10 (.600 %) line against St. Joseph (LI). In total, he had 18 kills, 3 errors, and 35 swings for a .429 hitting percentage throughout the day.
Owen Wickens – Setter – Nazareth
Owen “Jackknife” Wickens put on a performance for the ages last week. Against Geneva, Hilbert, Medaille, and #12 Juniata Owen had 30 kills, 5 errors, on 48 Attempts (.521 %) alongside 102 assists (8 assists/set) and 15 aces (1.25/set). This was headlined by a game defining performance against Juniata, where the Setter/Outside went 9-3-19 (.316) alongside 35 assists and an incredible 7 aces.
Raymond Tarasi – Opposite Hitter – Marymount
Raymond Tarasi exploded this past Saturday in Marymounts tri-match with Alvernia and Mt. St. Joseph. The Pittsburgh, PA native started things off with a 15-2-23 (.565) line against Alvernia, following things up with a 16-7-28 (.321) performance against Mt. St. Joseph. For the weekend he averaged 5.17 kills/set, a .431 hitting percentage, and 5.4 points/set.
Jack Spohn – Middle Blocker – Mt. St. Joseph
The 6’5 Columbus, Ohio native came to play as Mt. St. Joseph came East. Through two matches against Alvernia and Marymount, Spohn had 18 kills, 3 errors, on 30 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage alongside 9 total blocks (1.25/set).
Aidan O’Brien – Middle Blocker – Stevenson University
Aidan O’Brien compiled 17 total blocks during the Slug Slam for the Mustangs, including a career best 9 blocks against Cal Lutheran on 1/14. His best offensive performance came during the Mustangs upset win over #8 SUNY New Paltz, going 5-0-9 (.556) in the victory. In total, he averaged 1.31 kills/set, a .361 hitting %, 2.1 points/set, and 1.13 blocks/set throughout the tournament.
Johjan Mussa Robles – Libero – Springfield College
Johjan had one of the best libero performances I’ve seen in a while in the Prides 2022 debut. In their 3-0 sweep of DI/II Long Island University, Johjan led all players with 15 digs (5 digs/set) which was nearly more than all the LIU players combined (16). The Sharks managed a .062 hitting percentage as Robles kept everything off the floor. Of his 13 pass attempts in serve-receive, 11 were in-system and 7 were perfect passes, ending the match with a 2.5 passer rating on a 3 point scale. Don’t serve the libero (at least not Johjan).
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