Griffin Walters, CSUN  Men's Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week  Junior • Outside Hitter • Sacramento, Calif.

• CSUN junior Griffin Walters matched a career high as the Matadors upended No. 6 Stanford en route to Big West Offensive Player of the Week honors. This is the first weekly award for a CSUN player in the 2023 season, and the first since a Matador trio took home honors on Feb. 28, 2022.

• After sitting out Wednesday's match versus Vanguard due to injury, Walters matched a career high with 17 kills while hitting .300 on a career-high 40 swings to help lead CSUN to victory in the five-set thriller. The outside hitter also added eight digs, two aces and two blocks.

• The product of Sacramento is sitting in the top 10 in The Big West in attacks, kills and points per set and rates 19th nationally in aces per set (.516).

• This is Walters’ second career weekly award, picking up Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 24, 2020.

Also Nominated: Clarke Godbold (Long Beach State); Ryan Ka (UC San Diego); Ryan Wilcox (UC Santa Barbara)

Sotiris Siapanis, Long Beach State  Men's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week  Sophomore • Outside Hitter • Limassol, Cyprus

• Sotiris Siapanis led the Long Beach State defense last week in a win against No. 12 Loyola-Chicago to scoop up Big West Men’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week, making three consecutive defensive award winners for the Beach.

• The sophomore transfer from Ohio State totaled nine digs, four blocks, and three aces to go along with 15 kills on a .312 attack percentage in the match. 

• With Siapanis anchoring the defense, the Beach tallied 11.0 total team blocks, 41 digs, and four aces in the five-set thriller over the Ramblers.

• The outside hitter from Limassol, Cyprus currently stands in fourth in The Big West with 4.19 points per set, and is second nationally in aces per set (.905).

• Missing last season for the Buckeyes with an injury, Siapanis was an All-MIVA selection and MIVA Newcomer of the Year in 2021.

Also Nominated: Taylan Cook (CSUN); Cole Power (UC Irvine)

Owen Birg, UC Santa Barbara  Men's Volleyball Freshman of the Week  Redshirt Freshman • Opposite Hitter • Thousand Oaks, Calif.

• UC Santa Barbara’s Owen Birg averaged 3.63 kills per set in the Gauchos’ weekend split against No. 5 Pepperdine to earn Big West Men’s Volleyball Freshman of the Week acclaim.

• Stepping into the role as in as the team's primary opposite, Birg paced UC Santa Barbara with 16 kills in Wednesday’s loss to the Waves.

• Friday, the product of Thousand Oaks, Calif. Added 13 kills on .321 hitting and three block assists in the five-set victory at Rob Gym. Five of Birg’s kills came in the dominant fourth set in which UC Santa Barbara hit .625 as a team to win 25-11 and force a deciding set.

• The award is Birg’s first career honor, and the first for a Gaucho in the 2023 season.

Also Nominated: Connor Bloom (Long Beach State); William D’Arcy (UC Irvine); Malcolm King (CSUN); Josh Schellinger (UC San Diego)
 

2023 Big West Men's Volleyball Weekly Winners