LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University men's volleyball player Nathan Zini was named National Opposite of the Week on Monday by Off The Block for his two performances at Charleston (Wv.) Feb. 9-10. 

Off the Block is a blog that presents weekly awards to the best performances across Division-I men's volleyball. It is the first time that Zini has earned an award from the blog.

In seven sets against Charleston (Wv.) on Feb. 9-10, Zini recorded a combined 37 kills, seven service aces, and six digs. He helped lead the Red Flash to 3-0 and 3-1 wins against the Golden Eagles.

These were the two stat lines from both matches:

2/9: 15 kills, six service aces, and three digs
2/10: 22 kills, .529 hitting percentage, three digs, and one service ace

The six service aces on Friday and the .529 hitting percentage on Saturday are new career-highs for Zini. The 22 kills he had in the second match tied a career-high he set back on April 8, 2022 against NJIT.

Zini currently leads the NEC in service aces with 24. He is second in kills(119) and points(148) along with being third in hitting percentage at .383. Across the NCAA, his totals would put him in a tie for fifth in service aces, 12th in hitting percentage, and 22nd in kills.

Along with being named National Opposite of the Week, Zini was named an NEC Prime Performer for the fourth time this season.