LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego men's volleyball player Vaun Lennon has been named the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I-II Player of the Week. The announcement was made Tuesday by the AVCA.

Lennon, a sophomore outside hitter, turned in two stellar performances last week to help the Tritons pick up a pair of huge league wins. On Saturday, Mar. 31, he posted a career-high .632 attack percentage with 13 kills, two aces and six digs in a sweep over No. 15 UCSB at RIMAC Arena. The previous night, he hit .333 with 12 kills, an ace and nine digs in a four-set upset over No. 3 UCLA. For the week, Lennon averaged 3.57 kills per set, 2.14 digs per set and 4.14 points per set.

"Vaun played tremendously in our two victories this past weekend," said UCSD head coach Kevin Ring. "He has a strong arm and can get plenty of kills. Where he has really improved is in his understanding of how to attack the ball, especially on out-of-system swings. He's making better choices."

Lennon, who hails from Westchester, Calif., has totaled 12 or more kills and at least 13.5 points in four of his last five matches.

The wins kept the Tritons alive in their hunt for a berth in the eight-team Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament. The winner of the tourney earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Final Four.

Lennon is the second AVCA National Player of the Week to come out of UC San Diego as outside hitter Jason Spangler was honored in 2008. 

Lennon was also named the Molten/MPSF Player of the Week on Monday. He is the third Triton to do so as Spangler won the award in 2008 and Eric Mai garnered the accolade in 1997.

"Vaun has really come into his own this season and is playing with a lot of confidence," continued Ring. "What I appreciate about him is that he would be the first to tell you that the accolades he received this week are a direct result of how well the team has played."

UCSD, which jumped from No. 13 to No. 11 in this week's national poll, has won five consecutive matches for the first time since 1990, prior to becoming a member of the MPSF.

The Tritons play at No. 1 USC on Thursday, Apr. 5 and at No. 6 Pepperdine on Saturday, Apr. 7.

- UCSDtritons.com -