UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's volleyball seniors Cole Bogner, Cal Fisher and Brett Wildman were selected preseason first team All-Americans by Off the Block prior to the start of the 2022 season.
The Nittany Lion trio were three of 10 chosen on the first-team version of the All-America list, which included a first team and a second team chosen by a nationwide voting committee.
Penn State had the most first-team selections and the second-most All-America selections overall (Pepperdine, 4).
All three Nittany Lions were recipients of 2021 All-America honors for their individual performances that led to the Nittany Lions' 22-4 record, the most wins in the nation, their 32nd EIVA Tournament title and first since 2017, and their NCAA Tournament appearance.
Bogner's 2021 season has established himself as one of the nation's top setters. Last 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 paced Penn State's explosive offense to a .331 hitting percentage, the fourth-best rate in the nations. He also had 806 assists, good for seventh in the nation and tops in the EIVA, along with a 9.71 assists per set average. Bogner was great defensively with a career-high 125 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 283 kills on a team-high 610 swings for an outstanding .349 hitting percentage, but his left-handed serve has resulted in 59 service aces which was the most in the nation for the 2021 season. He was named Off the Block's 2021 National Server of the Year for his efforts from the service line.
Fisher was named to his second-straight All-EIVA First Team in 2021 and had at least 10.0 points scored in every match he started last season. Fisher was also an excellent defensive piece for PSU's 2021 roster with a single-season personal best 123 digs.
Wildman's All-America nod is certainly warranted as the outside hitter not only improved his already explosive offensive game, but also become a great defensive player for the Nittany Lions in 2021. Wildman ranked in the top five in multiple EIVA offensive categories, including kills (237), kills per set (3.29), service aces (30) and points (285.0).
The Virginia Beach native is also had new personal bests in blocks (33.0) and digs (105) while sporting Penn State's best serve-receive percentage at .966 on 350 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 were ranked 5th in the 2022 AVCA Preseason Top 15 Coaches' Poll as announced Dec. 20, PSU's highest preseason national ranking since 2010 (also 5th). The defending EIVA champs were also selected as the unanimous favorite to repeat as conference champions in the EIVA preseason coaches' poll.
Penn State returns its entire starting lineup and 17 total student-athletes from the 2021 championship roster, Bogner, Fisher, Wildman and All-EIVA honorees Will Bantle and Sam Marsh.
The Nittany Lions begin their 26-match regular-season schedule Jan. 6-8 with a home series against 2021 national runners-up BYU at Rec Hall. Both matches begin at 7 p.m. and admission is free.
For more information on Penn State men's volleyball, follow the Nittany Lions on Twitter @PennStateMVBALL and Instagram @pennstatemvball and "like" the Penn State men's volleyball page on Facebook.
