April 23, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Six members of the Penn State men's volleyball team (21-5) picked up seven All-EIVA awards, conference officials announced Monday. Redshirt senior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) was named the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, and was also selected to the All-EIVA first team.
Redshirt senior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico), freshman Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) and redshirt freshman Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) joined Sunder on the All-EIVA first team, while junior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) and redshirt freshman Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) earned spots on the All-EIVA second team.
The six All-EIVA honors bring Penn State's total number of all-time All-EIVA selections to 183 since 1972. This was the 13th time a Nittany Lion has been named the Player of the Year and the fifth straight.
Sunder picked up his second Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Player of the Year accolades and the fourth All-EIVA award of his career. He earned second-team honors in 2009 and 2010 and first-team laurels in 2011. Sunder leads the Nittany Lions this season in kills (297) and kills per set (3.49), and is second on the team in aces (27) and digs (153). He ranks fifth in Penn State's career records in both kills with 1,442 and aces with 105. Sunder is a six-time EIVA Player of the Week.
Goas earned his fourth career honor after being selected Newcomer of the Year in 2009. He has been named to the All-EIVA first team all four years of his career. So far this season, Goas has guided Penn State to a .321 hitting percentage, which ranks in the top five nationally. Four of his primary hitters this season are hitting .332 or better for the season. He has 995 assists in 2012, averaging 11.18 per set, and is third on the team in digs with 130. Goas will graduate with his name firmly entrenched in the Penn State career record books as the all-time assists leader in the rally scoring era with 5,089, and ranks second overall.
Russell picked up his first career honor. He has started in 25 matches this season and leads the team in blocks with 84, averaging 0.97 blocks per set. Russell is third on the team in kills with 176 on a team-high .409 hitting, which ranks second in the league He has also contributed 19 aces for the season.
After redshirting in 2011, Curry was the starting libero for the Nittany Lions in 2012. He has played in all 26 matches and leads the team in digs with 196. A four-time EIVA Defensive Player of the Week, his 2.13 digs per set is a team-best and ranks fifth in the EIVA. This is Curry's first career honor.
A three-time EIVA Offensive Player of the Week, Goodell has been a consistent offensive threat for the Nittany Lions all season. After redshirting in 2011, Goodell has played at both opposite and outside hitter this season, playing in 23 matches and starting 18. He ranks second on the team in kills with 215 and averaged 3.31 kills per set on .332 hitting. His hitting percentage ranks eighth in the EIVA and his kills per set sits at ninth. Goodell has also contributed 19 aces, 71 digs and 33 blocks. This is his first career honor.
This is the second career honor for Turko after being selected to the first-team in 2011. Turko started every match this season at middle blocker. He is second on the team in blocks with 52, averaging 0.61 blocks per set. Offensively, Turko has totaled 116 kills on .351 hitting and leads the team with 42 aces, averaging 0.49 aces per set, which ranks in the top 10 nationally. As the top seed in the EIVA league playoffs, Penn State earned the right to host the EIVA Semifinals. Rec Hall is once again the site of the EIVA Championships on Thursday, April 26 and Saturday, April 28. Action is set for 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on April 26 and 7 p.m. on April 28. The winner earns the league's automatic berth in the NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship held at USC on May 3 and 5. Tickets are on sale for the EIVA Championships. Tickets for the EIVA Championships are $8 for adults and $5 for youth. Students with a valid ID from a participating school are free. For groups of 15 or more tickets are $4 if purchased in advance and $5 at the door. To purchase via phone, please call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office during normal business hours. For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2012 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.
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