Feb. 11, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Men's volleyball junior outside hitter Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) has been named the AVCA National Player of the Week, officials from the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Monday. It is the first such award for Anderson and the first for a Penn State player since Matt Proper last earned the recognition on Feb. 6, 2006.
Anderson led the undefeated and No. 2 Nittany Lions to three crucial wins over the last week, including two victories over Top 15 opponents. In a key EIVA match against Juniata on Tuesday, the junior outside hitter produced 10 kills in just two games of action. The Nittany Lions then hosted two MIVA foes in Loyola-Chicago and IPFW. Friday against the Ramblers, Anderson pounded 19 kills on a season-high .533 hitting with two aces, two digs and four blocks for a match-high 23.5 points. Saturday versus the Mastodons, Anderson was again virtually unstoppable, racking up 13 kills on .500 hitting with five digs and three blocks for a match-high 17.5 points. For the week, Anderson averaged 5.62 kills per game on .486 hitting with two aces, eight digs and seven blocks.
The Nittany Lions retained the second-place spot in Monday's CSTV/AVCA Division I/II Coaches Top 15 Poll, earning 224 total points and four first-place votes. Top-ranked BYU earned 229 total points and eight first-place votes while third-ranked Long Beach State earned 218 total points and four first-place votes. All three of the top teams are undefeated and are the only teams ranked in the Top 15 without a loss. The Nittany Lions and 49ers square off on Saturday, March 15 in Long Beach, Calif., while Long Beach State and BYU meet for two matches just five days later on March 20-21, also at the Walter Pyramid. Penn State and BYU will not meet in the regular season.
Penn State remains at home this week, hosting EIVA-foe George Mason on Friday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the South Gym of Rec Hall before welcoming Princeton on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 4:00 p.m. in the Main Gym of Rec Hall. Gametracker and free live video will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com for the contest with the Tigers on Saturday.
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