LEXINGTON, Ky.
(May 2, 2007) - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to
announce its 17th Annual AVCA Men's All-America TeamsSM.
UC Irvine leads the way with four players honored as AVCA
Division I-II All-AmericaSM,
placing one on the first team, and three on the second team. Three BYU players
received the honor, two on the first team and one on the second team. UCLA, UC
Santa Barbara and Pepperdine each landed two players on the All-America teams.
Ball State, IPFW, Loyola-Chicago, Ohio State, Pacific, Penn State and Saint
Francis (Pa.) each had one honoree. The Saint Francis honor is the team’s first
in the 17-year history of the AVCA Men's All-America awards.
Evan Patak of UC Santa Barbara is the only player making his
second stint on the AVCA Division I-II First Team All-AmericaSM,
as he landed first team honors in 2005 as well. Patak and Jonathan Winder of
Pepperdine are each making their third appearance on an AVCA Division I-II All-AmericaSM
team. Winder was a second team honoree in 2005 and 2006, while Patak earned
second team honors in 2004 to go along with his two first team selections.
The 2007 selections were made by the AVCA Men's Volleyball All-America
Committee: chairperson Sean Byron (Rutgers-Newark); Jeff Campbell (Cal State
Northridge); Fred Chao (George Mason); Shane Davis (Loyola-Chicago); Pete Hanson
(Ohio State); Mark Pavlik (Penn State); John Speraw (UC Irvine); Joel Walton
(Ball State) and Joe Wortmann (Pacific).
AVCA Division I-II National Player of the YearSM:
Jonathan Winder, Pepperdine University AVCA Division I-II Newcomer of the YearSM:
Yamil Perez, Brigham Young University, S, Fr.
$- 2004 AVCA Division I-II
Men's Second Team All-America selection
AVCA Division I-II All-America First-TeamSM
Theo Brunner,
a 6-7 junior middle blocker for UC Santa Barbara, ranks fourth in NCAA Division
I-II with a .531 hitting percentage, while pacing the Gauchos to a Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) best .369 hitting percentage. This 2007 All-MPSF
First Team selection recorded double-digit kills in 21 of 28 UC Santa Barbara
matches, while hitting .600 or better 11 times and .700 or better in six
matches. Brunner is a first time AVCA All-American.
Yosleyder Cala,
a 6-8 sophomore outside hitter for BYU, ranks eighth in the MPSF and first on
his team with 4.15 kills per game and 4.74 points per game. The two-time Sports
Imports/AVCA Player of the Week (March 5 and April 23) recorded the Cougars’ two
best single-match hitting percentages of the season: .780 against UCLA (January
12) and .905 against Southern California (March 3). Cala, who was also a 2007
All-MPSF First-Team selection, is a first time AVCA All-American.
Paul Carroll,
a 6-8 sophomore right side/opposite hitter for Pepperdine, ranks second in the
nation with 5.57 kills per game and 6.64 points per game, while helping the
Waves reach the NCAA semifinals this Thursday where they will face IPFW. The
2007 All-MPSF First-Team selection also ranks fifth in the nation with .545 aces
per game. Carroll, who was named Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week on April
16, is a first time AVCA All-American.
Marc Honore,
a 6-6 senior middle blocker for Saint Francis (Pa.), ranks first in the nation
with 2.04 blocks per game and fifth in the nation with 6.05 points per game. The
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) All-East Player of the
Year set single-season school records with 389 kills, a .521 hitting percentage
and 177 blocks, and had double-digit kills in 23 of 25 Red Flash matches. Honore,
who was named Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week on March 12, is a first
time AVCA All-American.
Tony Ker,
a 5-10 junior libero for UCLA, ranks 10th in the nation 2.52 digs per game. The
2007 All-MPSF First-Team selection also led his team with 265 digs. Ker is a
first time AVCA All-American.
Daniel Mathews,
a 6-6 junior setter for Ohio State, ranks third in the nation with 13.29 assists
per game, while leading the Buckeyes to a .352 team-hitting percentage, which is
also third best in the nation. The Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball
Association (MIVA) Player of the Year is also ranked fifth in the conference
with 35 aces on the year. Matthews is a first-time AVCA All-American.
Evan Patak,
a 6-8 senior right side/opposite hitter for UC Santa Barbara, ranks first in the
nation with 5.78 kills per game and 7.09 points per game. This Sports Imports/AVCA
Player of the Week (February 12) and four-time MPSF Player of the Week (January
15, February 12, April 2 and 9) had double-figure kills in 28 of 30 Gauchos
matches and five or more aces in nine matches. Patak, who was a 2007 All-MPSF
First-Team selection, is a three-time AVCA All-American, having earned
first-team honors in 2005 and second-team honors in 2004.
Ivan Perez,
a 6-4 junior outside hitter for BYU, is the Cougars best all-around contributor
on offense and defense. The 2007 All-MPSF Second-Team selection led the team
with 81 total blocks, .91 blocks per game and 22 aces, and was second on the
team with 4.25 points per game and 1.45 digs per game. Perez is a two-time AVCA
All-American, having been a second-team selection in 2005, the first BYU player
to be named an All-American as a freshman.
David Smith,
a 6-7 senior middle blocker for UC Irvine, ranks first in the nation with a .558
hitting percentage and is sixth in the nation with 1.38 bocks per game, while
helping the Anteaters reach the NCAA semifinals this Thursday where they will
face Penn State. The 2007 All-MPSF First-Team selection hit .500 or better in 20
of 29 matches, while hitting .800 or more four times. Smith is a first time AVCA
All-American.
Jonathan Winder,
a 6-8 junior setter for Pepperdine, is second in the nation with 13.34 assists
per game, while setting the Waves to a .345 team-hitting percentage and into the
NCAA semifinals where they will face IPFW on Thursday. The 2007 MPSF Player of
the Year was also third on the team with 169 digs and 1.02 blocks per game.
Winder is a three-time AVCA All-American, having been named to the first-team in
2006 and the second-team in 2005.
AVCA Division I-II All-America Second-TeamSM
Matt Anderson,
a 6-9 sophomore right side/opposite hitter for Penn State, ranks 14th in the
nation with 4.37 kills per game, while helping lead the Nittany Lions to the
NCAA semifinals this Thursday where they will face UC Irvine. The 2007 EIVA
All-East First-Team selection had 21 double-digit kills in Penn State's 27
matches this season, which includes a 35-kill match against UC Santa Barbara on
March 12, a new rally-score-era school record. Anderson is a first-time AVCA
All-American.
James Grunst,
a 6-8 senior middle blocker for Loyola-Chicago, ranks second in the nation with
a .550 hitting percentage, which is the highest hitting percentage in school
history (the previous best was .501). Grunst, a four-time MIVA First-Team
selection was named Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week on April 2. He is a
two time AVCA All-American, having earned first-team honors in 2006.
Russell Holmes,
a 6-8 junior middle blocker for BYU, ranks fifth in the nation with 1.45 blocks
per game and 14th in the nation with a .438 hitting percentage. The 2007 All-MPSF
Second-Team selection and BYU captain hit .600 or better in nine of the Cougars
27 matches this season, including two matches above .750. Holmes, who was named
Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week on January 29, has earned AVCA
Second-Team honors for the second consecutive year.
Jayson Jablonsky,
a 6-5 senior outside hitter for UC Irvine, ranks 17th in the nation with .379
aces per game and 10th in the MPSF with 4.57 points per game in helping lead the
Anteaters into the NCAA semifinals this Thursday where they will face Penn
State. The 2007 All-MPSF Second-Team selection and Sports Imports/AVCA Player of
the Week on January 22, recorded double-digit kills in 24 of UC Irvine's 29
matches. Jablonsky, last year's AVCA National Player of the Year and MPSF Player
of the Year, is a two-time AVCA All-American, having also earned First-Team
honors in 2006.
Steve Klosterman,
a 6-7 senior right side/opposite hitter for UCLA, ranks 15th in the nation with
4.29 kills per game and 13th in the nation with 5.03 points per game. Klosterman,
who is a 2007 All-MPSF Second-Team selection, earned Sports Imports/AVCA Player
of the Week honors on February 26. He is a first-time AVCA All-American.
C.J. Macias,
a 6-4 junior outside hitter for IPFW, ranks seventh in the nation with 4.68
kills per game and 5.34 points per game, while helping the Mastodons reach the
NCAA semifinals this Thursday where they will face Pepperdine. Macias, a 2007
All-MIVA First-Team selection, was named Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week
on January 16. He is an AVCA Second Team All-American for the second year in a
row.
Ian Peckler,
a 6-4 junior libero for Ball State, ranks sixth in the nation with 2.65 digs per
game. He has logged double-figure dig totals in 13 of 28 Cardinals' matches,
including a season-high 15 digs against Loyola-Chicago on February 24 and in
Ball State's upset of then-No. 6 Ohio State on April 13. Peckler is a
first-time AVCA All-American.
Pekka Seppanen,
a 6-2 junior outside hitter for Pacific, ranks ninth in the MPSF with 3.98 kills
per game and 4.68 points per game. The 2007 All-MPSF Honorable Mention led
Pacific in almost all of his team’s statistics, which includes 468 kills, 40
service aces, 211 digs and 551.5 points. Seppanen is a first-time AVCA
All-American.
Brian Thornton,
a 6-3 senior setter for UC Irvine, ranks fourth in the nation with 13.23 assists
per game, while helping the Anteaters to a .352 team-hitting percentage. The
2007 All-MPSF Third-Team selection ranks first all-time in school history in the
rally score era with 4,339 assists heading into this Thursday's NCAA semifinal
match against Penn State. Thornton has earned AVCA Second-Team All-American
honors for the second consecutive year.
Matt Webber,
a 6-6 senior right side/opposite hitter for UC Irvine, ranks 16th in the nation
with .381 aces per game, and 19th in the nation with 4.73 points per game.
Heading into the Anteaters NCAA semifinal match against Penn State this
Thursday, the 2007 All-MPSF Second-Team member has double-digit kills in 22 of
the Anteaters’ 29 matches and led the team in kills in 15 matches. Webber is a
two-time AVCA All-American, having also earned second-team honors in 2006.
AVCA Newcomer of the YearSM
Yamil Perez,
a 6-1 freshman setter for BYU, leads the nation with 13.46 assists per game,
while setting the Cougars to a .343 hitting percentage, which is sixth best in
the nation. He is also third on the team with 1.52 digs per game and tied for
third with 21 aces. Perez, who set the Cougars to a .300 hitting percentage or
higher in 22 of 27 matches this season, also was named 2007 MPSF Newcomer of the
Year and All-MPSF Honorable Mention.
