April 18, 2013

LONG BEACH - Redshirt freshman middle blocker Taylor Gregory is one of three finalists selected for the 2013 Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Blocker of the Year award. The overall winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 23.

The Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Blocker of the Year is annually awarded to the NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball player with the best front-row defensive performance during the regular season.

The voting committee was comprised of more than 20 college men's volleyball head coaches and volleyball reporters from around the nation.

Gregory has played in and started 24 matches for Long Beach State, compiling a team-high 135 total blocks. He also ranks first in the nation with 1.42 blocks per set. The Saugus, Calif., native has led the 49ers in blocking in 19 matches and totaled a career-best 11 in a 3-2 win against Cal Baptist on March 21.

UC Santa Barbara's Dylan Davis and Ball State's Matt Leske are also in the running for National Blocker of the Year.

Off the Block is a website that launched in January, 2011, and has become one of the nation's leading media outlets for college men's volleyball news and analysis. Springbak, Inc. is the official sponsor of the 2013 National Blocker of the Year award.