March 23, 2009
University Park, Pa. - Penn State men's volleyball senior middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) has been named the EIVA Player of the Week, conference officials announced. The award is the second of the season and the seventh of Holt's career, and is the fifth for a Nittany Lion, as junior middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) garnered the award on Jan. 27, junior outside hitter Will Price (Gaithersburg, Md.) was honored on March 9 and sophomore libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) picked up the accolade on March 16.
Behind Holt's play, Penn State picked up two important wins over MIVA competition last weekend. Friday against IPFW, Holt pounded 10 kills on an errorless 12 swings to hit .833, one of four Lions in double-digit kills. He also blasted six aces and recorded a dig and three blocks for a match-high 18.0 points. Saturday against No. 15 Loyola-Chicago, Holt helped Penn State avenge an earlier loss to the Ramblers with five kills, five aces and three blocks. For the weekend, Holt posted 15 kills on an errorless 24 swings to hit .625 with 11 total aces, four digs and six blocks for a team-high 29.5 total points.
Penn State travels to EIVA foe Juniata on Tuesday, March 24 for a 7:00 p.m. contest before returning home to host Princeton and Mount Olive on Friday and Saturday, March 27-28 at 7:00 p.m. each night. Prior to Saturday's match, seniors Jon Sherrick, Max Holt, Ryan Sweitzer and Jay Stauffer will be honored for their contributions to Penn State and the men's volleyball program.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets At Hershey.