NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University men's volleyball middle blocker Shaphar Grant earned Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week laurels on Monday (Feb. 28), a first for the program.

The 11 independent teams in NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball this season are Alderson Broaddus, American International, Daemen, D'Youville, Fairleigh Dickinson Limestone, Lincoln Memorial, Long Island, Maryville, Queens, and Tusculum.

The Pioneers went 2-1 during the week, including beating Emmanuel in a defensive battle and upsetting a nationally-ranked Southern Virginia team.

Against Emmanuel, the junior collected 12 total blocks (one solo, 11 assists), shattering the previous program record. Grant's effort at the net is the most this season across NCAA I-II. This earned him OTB Defensive Player of the Night honors. The Kingston, Jamaica native also tied his career-high in kills with 12 on a .500 hitting percentage.

In the tri-match hosted by Randolph-Macon, Grant landed 10 kills per match and hit over .500 in each contest, .529 against SVU and .571 versus the hosting Yellow Jackets. He is also credited with five total blocks on the day and two service aces.

Off the Block determines the Independent Teams Player of the Week based on a variety of factors, including a player's individual performance and how a player's team fared during the week.

The winner of the Independent Teams Player of the Week is unveiled every week during the regular season on the Off the Block website, offtheblockblog.com.

Off the Block is a national award winning website that started in 2011 and is the nation's leader in college men's volleyball coverage.