4/28/2011

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2011 AVCA MEN'S DIVISION I-II ALL-AMERICA TEAMS 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 28, 2011) - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce its 21st Annual AVCA Division I-II Men's All-America Teams. The awards will be presented at the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Banquet on the campus of Penn State University on Wednesday, May 4, 2011.

The University of Southern California leads the way with three honored student-athletes, placing two on the First-Team and one on the Second-Team. Brigham Young University and Penn State University also had three lauded individuals, while Stanford University, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara all had two honorees each. 

One of this year's selections is now a four-time AVCA All-American, Penn State's Dennis Del Valle, who has garnered Second-Team laurels in each of his collegiate seasons. Stanford junior Erik Shoji makes his third consecutive appearance as a First-Team nod, while his junior Cardinal teammate Brad Lawson and Hawai'i sophomore Jonas Umlauft each received their second straight First-Team honor. In all, exactly half (10) of this year's recipients are first-time award winners.

The 2011 selections were made by the AVCA Division I-II Men's Volleyball All-America Committee: chairperson Mark Pavlik (Penn State); Fred Chao (George Mason); Shane Davis (Loyola-Chicago); Bill Ferguson (Southern California); Dan Friend (Lewis); John Kosty (Stanford); Rick McLaughlin (UC Santa Barbara); Mike Rumbaugh (Saint Francis); and Joel Walton (Ball State).

AVCA Division I-II Men's First-Team All-America  

AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Year: Announced at NCAA Championship Banquet on May 4

AVCA Division I-II Men's Newcomer of the Year: Taylor Sander, BYU, Fr.

* - 2010 AVCA Division I-II Men's First-Team All-America selection
+ - 2010 AVCA Division I-II Men's Second-Team All-America selection

^ - 2009 AVCA Division I-II Men's First-Team All-America selection

! - 2009 AVCA Division I-II Men's Second-Team All-America selection

# - 2008 AVCA Division I-II Men's Second-Team All-American selection

AVCA Division I-II Men's First Team All-America

Steven Kehoe, a 6-3 setter for The Ohio State University, is a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio.  Kehoe, the two-time Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Player of the Year and three-time All-MIVA First-Team honoree ranks among the tops in the country in assists and aces per set, while also keying the Buckeyes to a top-five team hitting percentage. This marks his second AVCA All-America nod.

Brad Lawson, a 6-7 outside hitter for Stanford University, is a junior from Honolulu, Hawai'i.  He ranks among the nation's elite in hitting percentage and kills and helped the Cardinal earn a spot in the MPSF Tournament.  Lawson, a two-time First-Team All-MPSF selection, snags his second AVCA All-America honor.

Riley McKibbin, a 6-2 setter for the University of Southern California is a senior from Honolulu, Hawai'i.  The Trojans' quarterback of the court ranks second nationally in assists per set while helping USC to the second-best attack percentage in the country, as well.  The First-Team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) honoree is earning his first AVCA All-America award.

Jeff Menzel, a 6-6 outside hitter for UC Santa Barbara, is a senior from Santa Barbara, Calif. The All-MPSF First-Team recipient for the Gauchos is ranked in the top-10 nationally in kills per set and the top-20 in hitting percentage, while helping key UCSB to a berth in the MPSF semifinals. This is Menzel's first AVCA All-America honor.

Erik Shoji, a 6-0 libero for Stanford University, is a junior from Honolulu, Hawai'i. Shoji, one of the toughest defenders in the nation, turned in the fourth-best digs per game average in the country, en route to earning All-MPSF Second-Team laurels. This marks the second-consecutive AVCA First-Team All-America honor for Shoji.

Joe Sunder, a 6-7 outside hitter for Penn State University, is a junior from Greensburg, Pa.  After guiding the Nittany Lions to a 22-6 record and statistically ranking among the Division I-II elite in aces and kills per set, as well as hitting percentage, Sunder was named the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) UValdo Acosta Player of the Year. Also an EIVA First-Team honoree, Sunder is earning his first AVCA All-America distinction.

Va'afuti Tavana, a 6-8 middle blocker for Brigham Young University, is a junior from Kalaheo, Hawai'i.  Tavana, BYU's big man in the middle, ranks second nationally in Division I-II in blocks per set, while leading the Cougars to a 20-8 record in 2011. Tavana, who was selected to the All-MPSF First-Team, is now a two-time AVCA All-American.

Murphy Troy, a 6-8 opposite for the University of Southern California, is a senior from St. Louis, Mo.  The 2011 MPSF Player of the Year and First-Team All-MPSF honoree played a big role in the Trojans' success this season, ranking in the top-15 nationally in kills and aces per set and hitting percentage. Troy, also a Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II National Player of the Week this season, earns his second AVCA All-America distinction.

Cory Yoder, a 6-3 outside hitter for UC Irvine, is a senior from San Clemente, Calif.  Yoder, an All-MPSF First-Team selection who ranked in the top-five in the country in hitting percentage and also sat among the national leaders in kills per set, helped the Anteaters to a 19-11 mark in 2011. This is his first AVCA All-America award.

Jonas Umlauft, a 6-9 opposite for the University of Hawai'i, is a sophomore from Stadtbergen, Germany.  Umlauft led the nation in kills per set for the second consecutive season, while also ranking 12th nationally in hitting percentage, en route to earning All-MPSF First-Team laurels. After helping the Warriors to a 15-3 record, Umlaluft earns his second consecutive AVCA All-America honor.

 
AVCA Division I-II Men's Second Team All-America

Antwain Aguillard, a 6-6 middle blocker for Long Beach State University, is a senior from Las Vegas, Nev.  The All-MPSF First-Team selection ranks in the top-10 in the nation and second in the MPSF in blocks per set.  The Nevada native was also named the MPSF Player of the Week for the week of March 28 when he tallied 41 kills in wins over Pacific and Stanford.  This marks the first time Aguillard has been named an AVCA All-American.

Mike Bunting, a 6-4 outside hitter for Loyola University Chicago, is a junior from Wyomissing, Pa.  Bunting was named to the MIVA First-Team for the second straight year after he led the Ramblers to a 20-7 record and a No. 2 seed in the MIVA Tournament.  The junior led the conference in kills per set while ranking nationally in the same category and hitting percentage.  His strong year helped him earn MIVA Offensive Player of the Week three times and a Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week a pair of times the weeks of February 7th and March 14th. This the first time the Pennsylvania native has taken home AVCA All-American honors.

Tony Ciarelli, a 6-6 outside hitter for USC, is a junior from Huntington Beach, Calif. Ciarelli, a key figure on a Trojan team that has been ranked No.1 in AVCA Top-15 Coaches Poll throughout the season, is an MPSF First-Team honoree.  Ranking nationally in kills per set and aces per set, the junior was selected an MPSF Player of the Week and Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week in the same week in two separate occasions in 2011. He now receives his second recognition as an AVCA All-American.

Carson Clark, a 6-5 opposite for UC Irvine, is a junior from Santa Barbara, Calif. A Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week winner, Clark ranks in the top-five nationally in kills per set and aces per set while ranking nationally in hitting percentage. For his efforts, the MPSF First-Teamer is being named an AVCA All-American for the second time.

Dennis Del Valle, a 5-8 libero for Penn State University, is a senior from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico.  Named to the EIVA First-Team and one of the nation's top liberos, Del Valle ranks in the top-three in the nation in digs per set.  This is Del Valle's fourth consecutive year appearing on the AVCA All-American Second-Team.

Edgardo Goas, a 6-5 setter for Penn State University, is a red shirt junior from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The setter ranks in the top-10 in the country in assists per set on his way to earning EIVA First-Team honors.  This is the second time since his freshman year that Goas has made it as an AVCA All-American.

Anders Nelson, a 6-9 middle blocker for Ball State University, is a senior from St. Croix Falls, Wis.  Nelson finished second in voting for the inaugural ‘Off the Block Blocker of the Year' award and ranks in the top-five in the country in blocks per set.  This is also the First-Team All MIVA recipient's first time being recognized as an AVCA All-American.

Taylor Sander, a 6-4 outside hitter for Brigham Young University, is a freshman from Norco, Calif. The MPSF Freshman of the Year, Sander ranks nationally in hitting percentage, kills per set and aces per set leading the Cougars to as high as a No.2  ranking in the AVCA Division I-II Top-15 Coaches Poll.  While this is Sander's first AVCA All-American award, it is not expected to be his last.

Robb Stowell , a 6-7 opposite  for Brigham Young University, is a junior from San Juan Capistrano, Calif.  Stowell ranks in the top-10 nationally in kills per set while also ranking nationally in hitting percentage.  The California native's excellent season was rewarded with an appearance on the All-MPSF First-Team and his first AVCA All-American honor.

Andy McGuire, a 6-0 libero for the UC Santa Barbara, is a senior from Manhattan Beach, Calif.   An All-MPSF Second-Team selection, McGuire played a key role in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals upset over BYU collecting seven digs.  McGuire showed that he was one of the premiere defensive players in the country, finishing fourth in the MPSF and in the top-10 nationally in digs per game. McGuire is a first time AVCA All-American.

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