Three Cougars Receive All-MPSF Honors

PROVO -- Three members of the BYU men’s volleyball team were honored as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation announced its All-MPSF selections on Thursday. Both junior outside hitter Andrew Stewart and redshirt freshman middle blocker Futi Tavana were named to the All-MPSF Second Team, while junior setter Yamil Perez received honorable mention. Tavana was also honored with a place on the All-MPSF Freshmen Team.

Stewart, a native of Sandy, Utah, led the Cougars in kills during the regular season with 391, averaging 3.62 per set. As a team captain he also finished the regular season second on the team in digs (156). Following his .446 combined hitting percentage in two matches against No. 2 Pepperdine on April 16-17, Stewart earned his first MPSF Molten Player of the Week honor. He also knocked down a career-high 22 kills in BYU’s match against Cal Baptist on Jan. 15.

Since returning home from an LDS mission, Tavana has gone on to start every match for the Cougars so far this season. He leads the team with 166 blocks on the season, including 16 solo blocks. With 246 kills during the regular season, the Kalaheo, Hawaii native has a team-high .383 attack percentage. After recording back-to-back double-doubles in five-set wins over No. 5 Long Beach State, Tavana received both national and conference Player of the Week awards. His 13 blocks against LBSU on March 21 tied a BYU program record.

After suffering injuries in 2008 Perez rebounded in 2009, recording 1166 assists during the regular season. He was also successful from the service line, leading the team with 19 aces. A native of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Perez recorded a career-high 73 assists in BYU’s 3-2 win over LBSU on March 21.

These mark the first MPSF post-season honors for both Stewart and Tavana. Perez was awarded honorable mention honors as a freshman in 2007.

The award announcements come two days before the start of the MPSF Tournament. No. 5 BYU travels to Northridge, Calif. to face No. 2 CSUN at 7 p.m. PT on Saturday.

2009 All-MPSF SELECTIONS
ALL-MPSF FIRST-TEAM
Student-Athlete   No.  Year  Position  School    
Paul Carroll      12   Sr.   OPP       Pepperdine
Eric Vance         4   Sr.   OH        CS Northridge
Dean Bittner      18   Jr.   OPP       Long Beach State
Murphy Troy       11   So.   OH        USC
Ryan Ammerman      3   Sr.   S         UC Irvine
Carson Clark       9   Fr.   OPP       UC Irvine
Kawika Shoji      12   Jr.   S         Stanford
ALL-MPSF SECOND-TEAM
Andrew Stewart    15   Jr.   OH        BYU
Futi Tavana       17   Fr.   MB        BYU
Jacek Ratajczak   17   Jr.   MB        CS Northridge
Erik Shoji         1   Fr.   LIB       Stanford
Kevin Wynne       17   So.   MB        UC Irvine
Dustin Watten      3   Sr.   LIB       Long Beach State
Garrett Muagututia 7   Jr.   OH        UCLA
ALL-MPSF THIRD-TEAM
Spencer McLachlin 15   So.   OH        Stanford
Brad Lawson        9   Fr.   OH        Stanford
Dan Alexander     21   Jr.   MB        Long Beach State
Tony Ciarelli     14   Fr.   OH        USC
Jordan DuFault     7   So.   OH        UC Irvine
Matt Stork        12   Fr.   S         CS Northridge
Kevin McKniff     10   Jr.   MB        CS Northridge
ALL-MPSF HONORABLE MENTION 
Yamil Perez       14   Jr.   S         BYU
Taylor Wilson      2   Sr.   OH        UC IrvineValley HS
Jeff Menzel        1   So.   OH        UC Santa Barbara
Austin Zahn       16   So.   MB        USC
Ali’I Keohohou     7   Jr.   LIB       CS Northridge
Scott Slaughter   19   So.   MB        UC Santa Barbara
Phil Bannan        8   So.   S         UC San Diego
Evan Romero        5   Jr.   OPP       Stanford
Kasey Crider      10   So.   S         Pepperdine
Riley McKibbin    10   So.   S         USC
Ric Cervantes      9   Jr.   LIB       Hawaii
Sean Grubbs       14   Jr.   LIB       PepperdineHarbor HS
Sean Daley        13   Fr.   MB        Pacific
Thomas Amberg     18   Fr.   MB        UCLA
ALL-MPSF FRESHMEN TEAM
Futi Tavana       17   Fr.   MB        BYU
Matt Stork        12   Fr.   S         CS Northridge
Erik Shoji         1   Fr.   LIB       Stanford
Tony Ciarelli     14   Fr.   OH        USC
Brad Lawson        9   Fr.   OH        Stanford
Jim Baughman       2   Fr.   MB        Long Beach State
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Paul Carroll      12   Sr.   OPP       Pepperdine
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Carson Clark       9   Fr.   OPP       UC Irvine
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kevin Ring         UC San Diego