COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three Penn State men's volleyball players have been recognized as All-America performers for the 2021 season as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association Monday.
Juniors Cole Bogner, Cal Fisher and Brett Wildman were all selected to the AVCA All-America Second Team, becoming Penn State's first trio to be named All-Americans in the same season since the 2011 when Joe Sunder, Edgardo Goas, Dennis Del Valle were honored.
It is the first All-America nod for both Fisher and Bogner and the second for Wildman, who was an All-America Honorable Mention in 2020.
Bogner's 2021 season has established himself as one of the nation's top setters. This season, the Chesapeake, Virginia native became the second Nittany Lion setter in program history to win EIVA Player of the Year after Jose Quinones won it three times between 2000-2002.
Bogner enters the 2021 NCAA Tournament pacing Penn State's explosive offense to a .329 hitting percentage, the sixth-best rate in the nation, and a nation-leading 21 wins. He also has 744 assists, good for 10th in the nation and tops in the EIVA, along with a 9.66 assists per set average. Bogner's has also been great defensively with a career-high 116 digs in 2021.
Fisher's special season from the opposite hitter position saw the Pittsburgh, Pa. native score points for the Nittany Lions in a variety of ways. Not only did Fisher lead Penn State with 260 kills on a team-high 563 swings for an outstanding .345 hitting percentage, but his left-handed serve has resulted in 55 service aces, the most in the country by a margin of 15 entering the NCAA Tournament.
Fisher was named to his second-straight All-EIVA First Team in 2021 and has at least 10.0 points scored in every match he has started this season. Fisher is also building on a single season best entering Monday's Opening Round match against Belmont Abbey with 119 digs.
Wildman's repeat performance as an AVCA All-American is certainly warranted as the outside hitter has not only improved his already explosive offensive game, but also become a great defensive player for the Nittany Lions in 2021. Wildman ranks in the top five in multiple EIVA offensive categories, including kills (218), kills per set (3.30), service aces (24) and points (266.5).
The Virginia Beach native is also building on personal bests in blocks (32.0) and digs (100) while sporting Penn State's best serve-receive percentage at .966 on 320 total attempts.
In the 2021 EIVA Tournament championship match, all three of Penn State's All-Americans came up with great individual performances to power the Nittany Lions to an automatic national tournament bid. Bogner had a season-high 50 assists, the majority of which set up both Fisher and Wildman.
Fisher put down a career-best 27 kills while hitting .400 and Wildman scored a season-best 22 kills in the Nittany Lions four-set win over No. 13 George Mason. Fisher was named the tournament's most outstanding player and was joined by Bogner and Wildman on the All-EIVA Tournament Team.
The Nittany Lions take on Belmont Abbey in the Opening Round of the NCAA Tournament Monday, May 3, at 5 p.m. at Ohio State's Covelli Center.
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