April 26, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) has announced that it will present Penn State men's volleyball junior Aaron Russell with the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Player of the Year honor Saturday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. prior to Nittany Lion's EIVA Championship match against Princeton in Rec Hall.
Russell was selected as the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Player of the Year earlier this week, making him the first Nittany Lion to earn back-to-back honors since Joe Sunder (2011-12).
This season, he picked up four EIVA Offensive Player of the Week honors and four Mike Anderson Penn State Player of the Match accolades. His 3.95 kills per set ranks first on the squad, ninth nationally and first in the conference, while his 1.92 digs pber set ranks second on the team and 10th in the league.
The three-time First Team All-EIVA selection is also leading the team from behind the service line as his team-high 62 aces and 0.67 aces per frame ranks second nationally and first in the conference. His 62 aces on the year also ranks second on the PSU single-season record list, while his 127 career aces ranks third all-time.
Top-seeded No. 12 Penn State men's volleyball takes on No. 3 seed Princeton in the EIVA Championship finals at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall tonight. The top-seeded Nittany Lions will look to capture their 16th consecutive conference crown and 26th overall in the matchup against the Tigers. Penn State is 3-1 all-time against Princeton in EIVA/ECVL Championship matches, having most recently captured a straight-set victory against the Tigers in 2010 for the conference title.
Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth ages 12 and younger. Group tickets are available at a discounted rate of $4 for group of 15 or more with an advance sale. Admission is free of charge to any student with a valid student ID. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY or at the door on gameday.