April 30, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Two members of the twelfth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (21-7) were named AVCA All-Americans, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Thursday. Senior Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) earned First Team AVCA All-America honors and junior Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) garnered Second Team AVCA All-America accolades.
Lipsitz picked up his second straight First Team nod, while garnering Second Team laurels in 2008. He is one of four 2010 honorees to be three-time AVCA All-Americans. Del Valle is also making his third appearance on the All-America list as a Second Team honoree. The two awards bring Penn State's total number of All-Americans to 75 since 1971.
Lipsitz, a four-time First Team All-EIVA pick, earns his third career AVCA recognition and his second First Team honor. He currently leads the nation with a .521 attack percentage and has double-digit kills in 20 matches this season. Lipsitz leads the Nittany Lions in blocks with 141 total and is averaging 1.40 blocks per set. He has at least one block in every match this season. In the EIVA Semifinals against Springfield, Lipsitz was third on the team with 12 kills on .562 hitting to help PSU earn a 3-0 victory and advance to the EIVA Final.
Del Valle, a three-time First Team All-EIVA selection, was named to the AVCA Second Team for the third straight year. He leads the team and ranks third in the nation with 3.50 digs per set. Del Valle has double-digit digs in 20 matches this season, including a career-best 25 in a 3-2 victory at UC Irvine. He broke his own single-season digs record of 310, which he set in 2009, and currently has 350 heading into the EIVA Final. Del Valle also owns the Penn State career digs record with 924.
The Nittany Lions are currently in pursuit of their 12th straight EIVA conference title. Penn State defeated Springfield, 3-0, on Thursday, April 29, in the EIVA Semifinals and will face Princeton on Saturday, May 1 at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The winner of the EIVA Championship earns an automatic berth into the NCAA National Championship hosted by Stanford on May 6 & 8.
AVCA Division I-II Men's First Team All-America
Carson Clark, UC Irvine, RS/Opp., Sr., 6-5, Santa Barbara, Calif.+
Kasey Crider, Pepperdine, S., Jr., 6-4, Granite Bay, Calif.
Brad Lawson, Stanford, OH, So., 6-7, Honolulu, Hawaii
Max Lipsitz, Penn State, MB, Sr., 6-7, Williamsville, N.Y.*^
Kevin McKniff, Cal State Northridge, MB Sr., 6-7, Tuscon, Ariz.
Jacek Ratajczak, Cal State Northridge, MB, SR., 7-2, Warsaw, Poland+
Kawika Shoji, Stanford, S, Sr., 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii*^
Erik Shoji, Stanford, DS/L, So., 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii*
Andrew Stewart, BYU, OH, Sr., 6-6, Sandy, Utah
Jonas Umlauft, Hawaii, RS/Opp., Fr., 6-9, Stadtbergen, Germany
AVCA Division I-II Second Team All-America
Dean Bittner, LBSU, RS/Opp., SR., 6-8, Lakewood, Calif.*^
Dennis Del Valle, Penn State, DS/L, Jr., 5-8, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico+^
Jordan DuFault, UC Irvine, OH, Jr., 6-4, Lakewood, Calif.^
Steven Kehoe, Ohio State, S., Jr., 6-4, North Bend, Ohio
Garrett Muagututio, UCLA, OH, Sr., 6-5, Oceanside, Calif.
Cory Riecks, Pepperdine, OH, Jr., 6-7, Auburn, Calif.
Evan Romero, Stanford, RS/Opp., Sr., 6-7, Miami Lakes, Fla.
Shawn Sangrey, Ohio State, RS/Opp., So., 6-5, Columbia, Pa.
Futi Tavana, BYU, MB, So., 6-8, Kalaheo, Hawaii
Joshua Walker, Hawaii, OH, Jr., 6-1, Virginia Beach, Va.
* 2009 AVCA First Team All-America selection
+ 2009 AVCA Second Team All-America selection
^ 2008 AVCA Second Team All-America selection
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.