NASHVILLE – Co-leading the postseason honors list, the Lincoln Memorial University men's volleyball team placed three on the 2021 Off the Block All-Independent Team and both freshman right side hitter Justin Sharfenaker and Railsplitter head coach John Cash picked up individual awards. Sharfenaker was tabbed 2021 Off the Block Independent Teams Freshman of the Year while leader Cash was named Off the Block Co-Independent Teams Coach of the Year. Along with Sharfenaker, both junior setter AJ Risavy and senior middle hitter Pedro Carvalho were selected to the 10-member Off the Block All-Independent Team.
 
Limestone University was the only other program to land three on this year's Off the Block All-Independent Team. Coach Cash shares the Co-Independent Teams Coach of the Year plaudit with Daemen College head coach Don Gleason as the inaugural national award recognizes the top head coach during the regular season from NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball teams competing without conference affiliation. The eight independent teams this season are Alderson Broaddus, Daemen, D'Youville College, Limestone, LMU, St. Francis Brooklyn, Tusculum University and Queens University of Charlotte.
 
Collecting his first major postseason award, Sharfenaker becomes the second Railsplitter to be donned Off the Block Independent Teams Freshman of the Year after Risavy garnered the same distinction in 2018. For Risavy and Carvalho, it is their fourth and fifth, respectively, Off the Block All-Independent Team recognition of their careers.
 
Tying for fourth place in the 2021 Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Year voting, Sharfenaker had a breakout campaign after his true freshman season was cut short due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Columbus, Ohio (Briggs HS), native was outstanding across LMU's 18 regular season matches and led the Railsplitters' offensive attack. Ranked among the top 40 players in the nation in kills (3.22), points (3.81) and attacks (7.78) per set, Sharfenaker is second among all independent team players in each statistical category. Leading LMU in total kills (203) and service aces (18), the 6-foot-6 hitter is attacking at a .224 clip and has compiled the second-most digs (77) of any Railsplitter. Averaging 1.22 digs per set, Sharfenaker has risen up for 38 total blocks, the third-most on the team. He was heralded as Off the Block/Frisco Mo National Player of the Month after leading LMU to an outstanding 7-1 record during the month of March while averaging 3.2 kills and 1.4 digs in 28 sets of action.
 
Aiding the Railsplitters to their third consecutive straight-set victory on Friday, March 19, Sharfenaker set the single-match program record for attack percentage (minimum 20 attack attempts). Registering 14 kills with only one error on 20 attempts, Sharfenaker notched a .650 attack percentage as LMU completed the season sweep of Tusculum. Reaching double figures in kills 13 times this season, including a stretch of eight-straight matches from Jan. 22 – Feb. 9, Sharfenaker posted a career-high 17 kills in a four-set affair at Loyola Chicago. He also made a career-high five total blocks at McKendree University and in a straight-set win at King University, reached a career-high nine digs in a five-set win at Tusculum and in a five-set outing at Queens, and served a career-high five aces in the straight-set regular season finale home win over the Royals.
 
Earning a spot on the Off the Block All-Independent Team for the fourth-straight year, Risavy has once again been one of the best setters in the nation. The Edwardsville, Illinois (Metro-East Lutheran HS), native is ranked 16th nationally and leads all independent teams players in assists per set (9.67). Tallying a team-best 464 assists across 48 sets, Risavy owns the fourth-most digs (64) and fifth-most total blocks (18) of any Railsplitter. The 6-foot-7 setter recorded 30 assists or more in 10 of the 15 matches he competed in, including seven of the last eight matches of the regular season. Risavy reached 50 assists twice and handed out a season-high 57 assists in a five-set match at Queens. He accounted for 65.1 percent of LMU's assists during the regular season.
 
Securing his fifth consecutive Off the Block All-Independent Team accolade, Carvalho is once again one of the most efficient players in the country. His .386 attack percentage leads all independent team players and is the 13th-highest attack percentage in the country. The São Paulo, Brazil (Alonzo and Tracy Mourning HS), native ranks 20th in the nation and third among independent team players in blocks per set (1.02) while leading the Railsplitters' front line of defense with 64 total blocks across 63 sets. Carvalho marked the third-most kills of any LMU player during the regular season with 120 (1.9/set) and served the third-most aces (11). The 6-foot-7 middle has gotten to 34 digs and leads the team in solo blocks (12), reaching double-digit kills on three occasions in 2021 and registering six or more total blocks in six different matches. Earning a career-high seven digs at then receiving-votes Ball State on Jan. 28, Carvalho posted a season-best seven total blocks the following day against the Cardinals before laying down a season-high 13 kills in a thrilling five-set victory at Tusculum.
 
Cash has led the Railsplitters through unprecedented times as LMU embarks on its postseason quest while navigating the ongoing global pandemic. Handling all the challenges COVID-19 has brought to the Railsplitters' campaign, Cash has guided LMU to a 10-8 record and a 5-1 mark against independent teams. Under Cash's tutelage, the Railsplitters were able to rebound from a 1-6 start by winning nine of their last 11 matches and ending the regular season on a five-match win streak. Boasting a NCAA RPI of No. 21, eight of LMU's 10 triumphs this season have come in straight-set fashion. In four seasons at the helm of Railsplitter men's volleyball, Cash has led LMU to an impressive 56-32 (.636) record and back-to-back Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) Tournament titles in 2018 and 2019.  
 
The Railsplitters have earned the top seed for this weekend's 2021 IVA Tournament, held Friday and Saturday, April 16-17 inside Curry Arena at the Levine Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. LMU will face either fourth-seeded Tusculum or fifth-seeded Alderson Broaddus Friday night at 7 p.m. in the semifinal round of the postseason championship event hosted by Queens.
 
Head coaches from the independent Division I-II men's volleyball teams and volleyball media members comprised the voting committee for Off the Block's Independent Teams Player of the Year, Independent Teams Freshman of the Year, Independent Teams Coach of the Year and All-Independent Team.
 
2021 Off the Block All-Independent Team
Setter: Michael Krueger, Daemen
Setter: AJ Risavy, LMU
Opposite: Justin Sharfenaker, LMU
Outside attacker: Geraldo Rivera, Limestone
Outside attacker: Tristan Santoyo, Queens
Outside attacker: Zach Schneider, Daemen
Middle attacker: Pedro Carvalho, LMU
Middle attacker: Jon Igo, Limestone
Middle attacker: JP Payne, Queens
Libero: Michal Podgorzak, Limestone
 
2021 Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Year
JP Payne (middle hitter), Queens
 
2021 Off the Block Independent Teams Freshman of the Year
Justin Sharfenaker (right side hitter), LMU
 
2021 Off the Block Co-Independent Teams Coach of the Year
John Cash, LMU
Don Gleason, Daemen
 
About Off the Block  
Off the Block is a website that focuses on college men's volleyball news and analysis. With its in-depth and year-round coverage of the sport, the website has become the nation's leader in college men's volleyball coverage. Off the Block in 2017 was presented with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Grant Burger Media Award – becoming one of the few media organizations to win the annual award for outstanding volleyball coverage. Along with its coverage, Off the Block is responsible for coordinating and presenting numerous annual, monthly and weekly awards in college men's volleyball. It also coordinates and distributes a weekly national media poll and the weekly Division II national coaches poll. Off the Block is an independent media organization that believes in providing all its content for free without a paywall in the effort to promote and grow the game. The website is able to sustain itself through the support of sponsors and donations from readers.
 
How to Follow
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter volleyball throughout the 2021 postseason.