COLORADO SPRINGS -- The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Wednesday that middle blocker Russell Holmes has been named to the All-America Second Team. The honor marks the 16th-consecutive season a BYU men's volleyball player has received All-America status.
"It's a great complement to Russell and to our team," BYU coach Tom Peterson said. "His consistency was an outstanding contribution. He hit for a high percentage the vast majority of the time and just got better and better. He can get even better and will be a great leader for us in all aspects for the next two years."
Holmes, a sophomore from Fountain Valley, California, is the 21st Cougar in the program's history to be recognized as an All-American. He is also the eighth BYU middle blocker and seventh player from California to earn All-America honors.
After starting a handful of matches and contributing off the bench in 2005, Holmes was the only Cougar to start every match and play in all 104 games in 2006. He established himself as one of the most dominant middle blockers in the country, ranking sixth in the nation in hitting percentage (.456) and eighth in blocks per game (1.49). Holmes was one of only four players in the country to finish the season in the top 10 in both categories.
"He was there all the time for us this year and is proving to be a leader both with performance and with how he interacts with other players on our team," Peterson said. "He's a wonderful player to coach. We expect even greater things from him in the coming years."
Holmes finished the season with 155 blocks (143 assists, 12 solos), a total that is tied for second most in a season since rally scoring began in 2001. His 143 block assists tied him for the fifth most in school history. Against Cal State Northridge, Holmes set a career-high with 12 blocks (10 assists and two solos), tied for the second-highest BYU rally scoring total.