UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State’s Ryan Merk was named an AVCA honorable mention All-American on Monday. The redshirt junior libero helped the Nittany Lions win the EIVA Tournament and earn an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Championship for the third-consecutive season.
Merk was a second-team All-American in 2024 and now has two honorable mention accolades as he adds this year’s to the one he earned as a redshirt freshman in 2023. He is the first Penn State libero to earn three All-America honors since Dennis Del Valle won four from 2008-11.
Merk has averaged 1.96 digs/set while helping hold opponents to .270 hitting through 30 matches this season. He has recorded double-digit digs eight times, including a season-high 15 in a five-set win at George Mason.
Voters honored Merk’s play at two different events this season. He was named to the All-Tournament Team at Hawaii’s Outrigger Invitational after playing well in matches against USC, Hawaii, and Ball State. He was later voted to the EIVA Championship All-Tournament Team after helping Penn State sweep Harvard, NJIT, and Princeton to win the title.
With 658 career digs, Merk ranks ninth on Penn State’s all-time list and still has a full season of eligibility remaining after this postseason.
Penn State, the seventh-seeded team in the National Collegiate Championship, advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 3-0 sweep over Daemen on Friday in a match that saw Merk lead all players with nine digs. The Nittany Lions now play second-seeded Hawaii on Thursday at Ohio State’s Covelli Center.