After a dominant two-match performance, Cumberland’s Jacob Whyte was named the NAIA Men’s Volleyball Attacker of the Week by the national office Tuesday afternoon.
Whyte, a graduate outside hitter from Lockport, Ill., was unstoppable at the net, helping lead the Phoenix to a pair of River States Conference victories last week.
He racked up 38 total kills over seven sets, averaging an impressive 5.43 kills per set while swinging at a .531 attack percentage.
In a 3-1 win over Oakland City, Whyte delivered 20 kills while hitting .447. He followed that effort with 18 kills on just 26 attempts (.654) in a straight-set sweep of Brescia. Across both matches, he also added seven digs, four total blocks, and 41.0 total points, averaging 5.9 points per set.
This season, Whyte has posted 304 kills on a .350 hitting percentage. He is also averaging 3.27 kills per set. Defensively, Whyte has picked up 118 digs and 67 total blocks.
This is the tenth time a Phoenix has earned national player of the week honors across all sports this year.
This is the men’s volleyball program’s sixth national honor since the program began. Caleb Ginnings earned Defender of the Week twice and Ben Douglas was named the Setter of the Week in 2022. Francesco Corradini earned Defender of the Week twice this season. Whyte is the Phoenix’s first-ever Attacker of the Week.
