IRVINE, Calif. - Long Beach State outside hitter Paul Lotman earned another honor during his outstanding senior campaign as he was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Men's National co-Player of the Year. Lotman shared the honor with Penn State's Matt Anderson. The announcement was made on Wednesday evening at the annual 2008 Men's Volleyball All-American Banquet, held in conjunction with the NCAA Championships.

Lotman, who was selected two weeks ago as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Player of the Year, was a first team AVCA All-American this year for the first time. Ranked in the top three nationally in kills and points per game, and first in aces per contest, Lotman is the second 49er to earn National Player of the Year honors as Brent Hilliard won the award in 1992.

The banquet concluded a long day for the 49ers as they prepared for their NCAA semifinal meeting on Thursday night against Pepperdine. The 49ers and the Waves tangle in the second NCAA semifinal at 8 pm at the Bren Events Center. Penn State and Ohio State meet in the first semifinal at 6 pm.

Long Beach State was represented by three players on the 2008 AVCA All-American Team. Lotman and sophomore Dan Alexander were both first team honorees, while sophomore Dean Bittner was named to the second team. The awards were presented by UC Irvine Head Coach John Speraw and volleyball legend Karch Kiraly. The keynote address for the banquet was delivered by Hugh McCutcheon, the Head Coach of the USA Men's Volleyball Team.