Feb. 4, 2003
FAIRFAX, VA ... George Mason University men's volleyball player James Claney (Northbrook, IL/Glenbrook North) was named the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Division I Player of the Week.
Claney, a 6-6 senior, led the Patriots to a 2-1 mark last week, including a 2-0 start in conference play. He averaged 3.00 kills, 1.50 blocks and .417 aces per game, with a .363 hitting percentage. For the season he leads the team with 1.39 blocks per game to rank seventh in the EIVA in blocking average.
Last week Claney entered the Patriot record books once again, posting a season-high nine block assists in the team's 3-1 win at Concordia to give him 399 career blocks to rank fourth all-time. He is also among the program's all-time leaders in single-match hitting percentage (fourth and sixth), single-season hitting percentage (second and seventh) and in career hitting percentage (currently third).
Claney also added double-figure kills in both wins last weekend, including at New York University where he tallied a season-high 16 kills, error-free, to record a .696 hitting percentage. The senior started out the week with a season-high three service aces in the Patriots' loss to No. 15 Loyola.
A first-team All-EIVA and Asics/Volleyball Magazine honorable mention All-America selection in 2002, Claney is in his fourth year starting for the Patriots. He finished last season ranked fourth in the nation in both blocking average and hitting percentage, and was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Player of the Week on March 11 and was a league-high three-time EIVA Player of the Week pick.
A native of Northbrook, IL, Claney was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection out of high school, and was heavily recruited by Division I schools in both volleyball and football.
Claney and the George Mason men's volleyball team hit the road this weekend with two conference matches. They play at Juniata on Saturday, February 8, at 2 p.m., and at St. Francis (PA) on Sunday, February 9, at 2 p.m.
