Five Cougars Garner Academic All-MPSF Honors

WOODLAND -- Five Cougars have been named Academic All-MPSF scholar-athletes for the 2009 Men’s Volleyball season, Executive Director Al Beaird announced Friday.

Junior setters Reed Chilton and Yamil Perez garner the award for the second and third consecutive year, respectively, while sophomore outside hitter Kevin Sagers and junior opposites Mat Taylor and Kent Tuttle receive the honor for the first time.

The five honorees marks the most for BYU since the 2004 season.

The Cougars are among 42 student-athletes from around the conference who met the specific criteria set forth by the MPSF. Student-athletes, who were at least a sophomore academically, were awarded for maintaining a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average, having completed at least one full academic year at their current institution prior to the 2009 season and participated in 50-percent or more of the team's matches.

As a team captain, Chilton played in 29 of the team's 30 matches on the season and started five matches for the Cougars. He was second on the team with 229 assists on the year, averaging 2.27 assists per set. He also recorded 11 service aces, 42 digs and 26 total blocks, totaling a career-high 11 digs against Cal Baptist on Jan. 15.

Perez, an All-MPSF honorable mention selection, played in all 30 of the team's matches on the season, including 24 starts. He led the team with 1223 assists on the year, averaging 11.65 assists per set, and recorded 158 digs, 57 blocks and 12 kills. He recorded double-digit digs twice, against Lewis and Pepperdine and had a career-high 73 assists against Long Beach State on March 21, also marking a team-high for the season.

Sagers played in 29 matches on the season and started 15. He recorded 210 kills, 15 service aces and 98 digs. He knocked down a career-high 21 kills against Hawaii on Jan. 22 while recording a .625 hitting percentage. Sagers had double-digit kills in seven matches in 2009.

An Orem, Utah native, Taylor played in 27 matches on the season while starting 12 of them. He finished second on the team with 267 kills, averaging 3.51 per set while leading the team in kills eights times. He recorded 13 matches with double-digit kills, including a career-high 26 against UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 31.

Tuttle played in 29 matches on the season, recorded 18 starts. He knocked down 217 kills, averaging 2.61 per set and recorded double-digit kills nine times, including three 20-plus nights. He had a career-high 23 kills against Long Beach State on March 21 and led the team in kills six times.

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Name            Class      GPA   Position         Hometown
Kevin Sagers    Sophomore  3.76  Outside Hitter   Las Vegas, NV
Mat Taylor      Junior     3.73  Opposite         Orem, UT
Kent Tuttle     Junior     3.68  Opposite         El Dorado Hills, CA
Reed Chilton    Junior     3.56  Setter           Centerville, OH
Yamil Perez     Junior     3.12  Setter           Guaynabo, Puerto Rico