Six Bruins were represented as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Executive Director, Al Beaird, announced the MPSF All-Academic selections for men's volleyball on Tuesday. The list of honorees included seniors Mitch Stahl, Michael Fisher, Hagen Smith and Jackson Bantle along with sophomores Micah Ma'a and Dylan Missry.
Stahl, who majored in Political Science, saw action in 22 matches, all starts in the 2017 season. He hit .366 for the year and led the team with 42 aces and a 1.08 blocks per set mark. His 0.55 aces per set average was a new school record mark and ranked as the seventh-best in the NCAA. Stahl's blocks per set average rated 10th in the NCAA. He was named an honorable mention 2017 AVCA All-American and was a first-team All-MPSF selection. The Pennsylvania native finished No. 2 on the all-time school list for aces and No. 3 on the all-time school list for both career block assists and career total blocks.
Fisher, a Political Science major, appeared in 22 matches and made three starts. He totaled a career-high eight block assists in a three set win vs. Princeton, one of the best performances in the nation this past season. Fisher recorded a season-high 11 kills in a five-set win at Cal Baptist and added 10 kills in a Senior Night start versus Hawai'i.
Smith played in 26 matches, all starts at the setter/opposite position. A Geography / Environmental Studies major, he tied his career-high with 12 kills in a match last season at Stanford. Smith matched his career-best with three aces in a contest against Cal Baptist and had a high of 10 digs versus Hawai'i. He finished his Bruin career ranked No. 6 all-time on the school digs list and No. 4 on the school career set assists list.
Bantle was the only player to see action in all 28 matches last season. He played at libero, outside hitter and as a serving specialist. Bantle finished a season with over 100 digs (114) for the third time in his career in 2017. He led the team in digs in eight matches and produced a best of 14 in a win over USC. A Geography / Environmental Studies major, Bantle concluded his career in ninth place on the all-time school list for digs.
Ma'a played in 22 matches last season, making 19 starts at the setter/opposite position. He climbed to sixth on the all-time school list for career aces after recording 27 during the season. Ma'a ranked 25th in the nation in service aces average per set (0.33). He was named AVCA National Player of the Week on Jan. 17 for his performance in wins over UC Irvine (8 kills, .800, 3 aces, 7 digs) and UCSD (3 aces, 6 digs, 2 blocks). Ma'a earned honorable mention 2017 All-MPSF honors.
Missry played in 21 matches with 17 starts. He had at least 10 kills in nine matches and established a new career-high with 21 vs. CSUN. Missry, an undeclared major, ranked 17th in the NCAA in service aces per set average (0.38). He totaled five matches with at least three service aces, including four each in wins at UCSD and at USC. His total of 28 aces ranked second on the team.
All members of the MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete men's volleyball team had to meet the following criteria:
1. 3.00 or better cumulative grade point average.
2. Must be at least a sophomore academically.
3. Must have completed one full academic year at the institution prior to the season for which the award is presented.