This week’s VolleyMob Player of the Week may play for the No. 1 team in the nation, but it was his key role in making sure it stayed there, guiding the team in all facets of the game en route to a pair of Top 10 wins, that made him a sure pick.
Long Beach State setter Josh Tuaniga averaged 10.17 assists, 2.17 digs, 1.00 blocks and 1.00 kills per set, while helping the team to a .417 hitting effort in wins over No. 9 Lewis and No. 5 Loyola. The junior dished out 32 assists, five digs and five blocks, while guiding the team to a .386 clip and putting down five kills of his own on an errorless .625 (5-0-8) effort against the Flyers. The hometown player accounted for 29 assists, eight digs and two aces, while leading the team to a .456 hitting effort against the Ramblers. Tuaniga was tabbed as Big West Player of the Week for his efforts as the 49ers moved to 6-0 on the season.
HONORABLE MENTION
Gabi Garcia Fernandez, BYU – Fr., Opp.
Averaged 3.56 kills, 1.78 digs and 1.11 blocks per set, while hitting at a .349 clip in wins over No. 12 Ball State and No. 3 Ohio State; notched a 13-kill, 11-dig double-double, while hitting .459 and adding four blocks and three aces against Ball State; downed 19 kills and chipped in six blocks, five digs and two aces in the upset of Ohio State.
Collin Mahan, Loyola – Jr., OH
Averaged 4.00 kills and 1.43 digs per set, while hitting at a .396 clip in matches against No. 20 George Mason and No. 1 Long Beach State; put down 15 kills and added six digs and three blocks in a four-set win over George Mason; tallied a team-best 13 kills, while hitting .545 (13 kills, 1 error, 22 swings) and adding four digs vs. LBSU.
Karl Apfelbach, UC Irvine – Jr., OH
Averaged 3.50 kills, 1.17 digs and 0.92 blocks per set; posted 14 kills and seven digs, while hitting at a .233 clip in the team’s five set loss to No. 4 UCLA; notched nine kills and six blocks, while hitting .375 in a sweep of No. 13 USC; dropped 19 kills, while adding six digs and four blocks, while hitting .270 in a four-set win over No. 11 Pepperdine.
Kevin Gear, Penn State – RS Sr., MB
Averaged 2.00 kills and 1.29 blocks per set, while hitting at a .571 clip in season-opening wins over Mount Olive and Alderson-Broaddus; tallied eight kills and four blocks, while hitting .462 vs. Mount Olive; put down six kills and five blocks, while hitting at an errorless .750 clip (6-0-8).
Christian Malias, George Mason – RS Sr., OH
Averaged 3.29 kills, 1.43 digs and 0.71 blocks per set in losses to No. 5 Loyola and No. 9 Lewis; just missed a double-double against Loyola, posting 12 kills and hitting .333, while adding nine digs and five blocks; put down 11 kills on a .318 hitting effort, while serving up three aces at Lewis. Made good on 50 of 52 serve reception chances.
VolleyMob Player of the Week Honorees
Week 1: Karl Apfelbach, UC Irvine
Week 2: Josh Tuaniga, Long Beach State
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