Wall, Acosta Earn All-America Honors

PROVO -- BYU seniors Mike Wall and Joaquin Acosta were today named to the AVCA All-America first team, marking the third time in the past four seasons two BYU players have earned All-America first-team honors. With two more All-America citations, the Cougars have had at least one All-American in each year since 1991, marking a stretch of 12 straight seasons.

Wall, a 6-foot-5 opposite side hitter, joins the ranks of Ryan Millar and Ethan Watts as the only players in BYU volleyball history to earn back-to-back first-team honors. Acosta becomes the 13th player in BYU history to earn All-America status.

Wall led the Cougars with 517 kills, averaging 4.92 kills per game. Wall, a 2001 first-team selection, hit.353 on the year, connecting on 517 of 976 attempts. Wall registered 10 or more kills in 28 of the Cougars' 29 matches this season. He recorded a season-high 33 kills against Stanford, leading BYU to a 3-2 win over the Cardinal in the first round of this year's MPSF Tournament.

Acosta, a senior from San Juan, Puerto Rico, had 416 kills on 782 attempts, averaging 4.08 kills per game. Acosta hit .376 on the season, including a team season-high .765 (14-1-17) against Concordia on March 8. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter also hit a blistering .643 (20-2-28) against UC Santa Barbara on March 29.

The Cougars concluded their season last Thursday, falling to No. 1 Pepperdine, 3-1, in Malibu. BYU finished the regular-season ranked third nationally, posting a 23-7 overall record.