PROVO -- Three BYU men's volleyball players were named Asics/Volleyball Magazine All-Americans. Michael Burke was named to the first team while Ivan Perez and Victor Batista were named to the second.
For Burke it is his second volleyball All-American award, having been named to the AVCA Second Team in 2005. He was also named second-team All-MPSF and an All-American by the National Strength and Conditioning Association in 2005.
Burke, a senior middle blocker, led the Cougars in hitting percentage at .460 and blocks per game at 1.35, ranking 13th and 10th nationally in each category. He finished his tenure at BYU with the best career-hitting percentage in school history at .470 and as one of the schools all-time best blockers. His 346 block assists and 388 total blocks rank him fifth in each category while his 42 block solos place him third on the all-time BYU list.
The honor is the second for Perez, who also made the AVCA second team. His All-America honors are the highest achieved by a BYU freshman. He was also a second-team selection in the MPSF, the highest league honor for a BYU freshman.
Perez, a freshman outside hitter, earned his spot in the starting lineup early in the 2005 season and became a critical part of the offense. He finished the season with the most kills by a Cougar freshman at 382 and the highest hitting percentage for a freshman outside hitter at .331. His 3.78 kills-per-game average led the team and he finished second on the squad averaging 1.49 digs.
Batista, a junior, was named to the second team as an outside hitter and middle blocker along with Perez. He was an AVCA second-team All-American in 2004 as a middle blocker. In 2005 he was also a second-team All-MPSF selection. Batista averaged 3.45 kills per game, hit .338 in MPSF play and finished eighth in the league in aces per game at .390 this past season.
Perez and Batista will be two of five returning starters for the Cougars in 2006. Other returning starters include senior libero Brian Rowley, senior setter Rob Neilson and senior outside hitter Taylor Evans. Also returning is sophomore middle blocker Russell Holmes, who started several matches early in the season and played a key role off the bench late in the season.