The AVCA has announced their eighth annual AVCA Men’s NAIA All-America Teams.
This is the first season that the All-American team has been extended to hold 12 players on the team, along with an Honorable Mention All-American list. This is also the first season that the AVCA has introduced the AVCA Newcomer of the Year award.
This years selections are among the most diverse yet (it terms of positions):
- 3 outside hitters
- 3 setters
- 2 liberos
- 2 opposites
- 2 middle blockers
#1 in the NAIA, Grand View, leads the field with three players selected to All-American teams. Lourdes, Missouri Baptist, Park and Warner each have two student-athletes mentioned on the lists.
Two players in the field selected have been named with four AVCA All-American awards – Grand View’s Pedro Cardoso and Warner’s Hui Ding. Three players have picked up their third award while two earn their second honor.
Cardoso, an outside hitter, averaged 3.47 kills per set on a .314 hitting percentage, adding 1.40 digs per set and 0.60 blocks per set. He is the only Grand View player to win the honor more than twice. Ding averages 3.49 digs per set and is the first player at Warner to earn the award four times. The two become the second and third players to earn AVCA All-America honors four times after Tyler Wills of Clarke achieved the first.
The selections were made by the AVCA NAIA Men’s Volleyball All-America Committee: chairperson Donan Cruz (Grand View), Sean Ostrander (Robert Morris), John Yehling (Missouri Baptist), Greg Reitz (Lourdes) and Steve Benson (Warner).
AVCA NAIA ALL-AMERICA
| Name | Institution | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Arteaga*** | Park University | OH | Sr. | Caracas, Venezuela |
| Pedro Cardoso**** | Grand View University | OH | Sr. | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Hui Ding**** | Warner University | L | Sr. | Hangzhou, China |
| Kyle Foley*** | Missouri Baptist University | S | Jr. | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Daniel Jacobs | Ottawa University | RS | Jr. | Burbank, Calif. |
| Mico Janicijevic*** | Missouri Baptist University | OH | Sr. | Gornji Milanovac, Serbia |
| Tim Johnson | Grand View University | RS | Jr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| Martin Krueger** | Warner University | S | Sr. | Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany |
| Ryan Maune | Lourdes University | MB | RS-Jr. | Washington, Mo. |
| CJ Rilveria | Lourdes University | L | Sr. | Kula, Hawai’i |
| Felipe Rosa** | Grand View University | S | Jr. | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Oscar Tuero | Park University | MB | So. | Santi Spiritus, Cuba |
*Denotes number of years named an AVCA NAIA Men’s All-American
AVCA NAIA HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICA
| Name | Institution | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Acfalle | Clarke University | OH | Sr. | Hollister, Calif. |
| Henrik Falck Lauten | Warner University | OH | So. | Drammen, Norway |
| Cameron Hibbler | Missouri Baptist University | MB | So. | Manchester, Mo. |
| Paris McFall | Robert Morris College (IL) | RS | Sr. | Maywood, Ill. |
| Connor O’Ryan | Cardinal Stritch University | MB | Sr. | Elmhurst, Ill. |
| Murilo Pereira | Park University | MB | Sr. | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Luke Pope | Ottawa University | S | Jr. | Long Beach, Calif. |
| Peyton Schirman | Briar Cliff University | OH | Jr. | San Diego, Calif. |
| Dalton Tucker | Robert Morris College (IL) | L | Sr. | White Hall, Ill. |
AVCA NAIA Men’s National Player of the Year: Announced at the NAIA Banquet on Wednesday, April 19.
AVCA NAIA Newcomer of the Year: Luke Pope, Ottawa, S
The award ceremony for the NAIA tournament will be held on Wednesday, April 19, with the play-in matches beginning that day. The next rounds of the tournament begin on April 20-22, with the title match on April 22. You can find all the links for the NAIA National Invitational tournament, here.
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