Clay Stanley honoured as USA Volleyball Indoor Male Athlete of the Year
At the end of the 2011 season, USA Volleyball (USAV) announced different awards for outstanding players of the year. In this regard, Clay Stanley (Honolulu) was named the USA Volleyball Indoor Male Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, December 14. He is the
second Hawaii resident to win the award this season after Lindsey Berg was named the Indoor Player of the Year in the female category on Tuesday. This is the second year in row that Stanley has earned this honour.
“I am proud to be named USA Volleyball’s Indoor Male Athlete of the Year for 2011,” Stanley said. “But my teammates and I know that next year will be even more important as we work to qualify for and compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.”
Stanley helped the American squad in the 2011 season to seize silver-ware at NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship. Furthermore, he represented US team at the FIVB World League and showcased his amazing skills on the net. The U.S. team finished the season
with an overall record of 26-15, while Stanley led the team in his captaincy. He was put in the captain’s shoes when William Reid Priddy suffered an injury before the start of NORCECA Championship and had to walk out. However, Stanley performed his duties
as a captain quite efficiently and kept the momentum going.
He totalled 373 points in the season and emerged as the second best player in the team (in terms of points) He averaged 3.85 points per set via 265 kills. He attained a hitting percentage of .344 and added 2.73 kills per set. On the defence side, he registered
55 blocks and received 138 digs in the season. Moreover, he proved his skills as a powerful server and added 53 aces.
Since the regular season is over now, Stanley has moved to Russia. He is currently playing for Ural Ufa in the Russian Super League. He will probably return to his home team in April, when U.S Men’s Team will start training sessions for NORCECA Continental
Olympic Qualifier. The NORCECA campaign is scheduled to start in May and it will be hosted by Puerto Rico.
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