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There is a split decision this year to the National Player of the Year.
BYU outside attacker Taylor Sander was named the 2013 Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year — one month after the All-American junior lost the AVCA National Player of the Year honor to Long Beach State outside attacker Taylor Crabb.
This is the first time in several years that different men’s volleyball players have earned the top individual award from the AVCA and Volleyball Magazine. Sander finished in the nation’s top five with a 3.94 kills per game average and helped led BYU to the NCAA championship match, while Crabb was third in the nation with a 4.18 kills per game average.
Along with Sander winning the top award, BYU opposite Ben Patch was named the Volleyball Magazine Freshman of the Year and UC Irvine head coach David Kniffin was selected as the Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year after guiding the Anteaters to the NCAA title.
Volleyball Magazine revealed these top-three individual awards in its July issue. In addition, the magazine in that same issue announced its All-American teams.
BYU led all teams with four All-American selections, including Sander and Patch being named First-Team All-Americans. Stanford, UC Irvine and UCLA each had three players earn Volleyball Magazine All-American honors.
Among the more notable selections included Ball State having two All-Americans — the first time in more than a decade that multiple Cardinals earned All-American accolades in a singe-season. In addition, outside attacker Cody Kessel became the first player from Princeton since 1997 to be an All-American selection.
Check out the complete list of what players made the Volleyball Magazine All-American teams.
Volleyball Magazine First-Team All-Americans
Opposite: Ben Patch, BYU
Opposite: Maurice Torress, Pepperdine
Outside attacker: Brian Cook, Stanford
Outside attacker: Taylor Crabb, Long Beach State
Outside attacker: Geoff Powell, Lewis
Outside attacker: Gonzalo Quiroga, UCLA
Outside attacker: Taylor Sander, BYU
Outside attacker: Joseph Smalzer, Loyola
Outside attacker: Kevin Tillie, UC Irvine
Middle attacker: Dylan Davis, UC Santa Barbara
Volleyball Magazine Second-Team All-Americans
Setter: BJ Boldog, Lewis
Setter: Micah Christenson, USC
Setter: Connor Olbright, Long Beach State
Setter: Matt West, Pepperdine
Outside attacker: Levi Cabral, Cal Baptist
Middle attacker: Russ Lavaja, BYU
Middle attacker: Collin Mehring, UC Irvine
Middle attacker: Spencer Rowe, UCLA
Libero: Michael Brinkley, UC Irvine
Libero: Evan Mottram, UCLA
Volleyball Magazine Third-Team All-Americans
Setter: James Shaw, Stanford
Outside attacker: Steven Irvin, Stanford
Outside attacker: Josue Rivera, BYU
Outside attacker: Cody Kessel, Princeton
Outside attacker: Mark Jones, George Mason
Outside attacker: Aaron Russell, Penn State
Middle attacker: Kevin Owens, Ball State
Middle attacker: Scott Kevorken, UC Irvine
Middle attacker: Matt Leske, Ball State
Libero: Brennan Anderson, Ohio State