April 20, 2016
BRONXVILE, N.Y. - Four Nittany Lions earned EIVA post season honors, as announced by the conference Wednesday morning. Junior Chris Nugent highlights the group with his Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Player of the Year honors, extending the streak to four years straight that a Nittany Lion has been named the EIVA player of the year following three straight nods for Aaron Russell (2013-2015).
Redshirt seniors Matt Seifert and Taylor Hammond each earned First Team All-EIVA honors, while redshirt sophomore Royce Clemens earned EIVA Newcomer of the Year accolades.
Nugent's award marks the 17th time a Nittany Lion has been honored as the league's Player of the Year.
The four All-EIVA honors brings Penn State's all-time number of conference selections to 202 since 1972.
Nugent, who picks up First Team All-EIVA honors for the first time in his career, has led the team offensively with double figure kills in all but five matches this season. Having earned EIVA Offensive Player of the Week honors four times this season, he also earned his first career AVCA/Sports Imports DI-II National Player of the Week award following a trio of standout performances during opening week of play for Penn State vs. USC and UCLA. With a team-high 3.80 kills per set, his average ranks 12th nationally and second in the EIVA.
Matt Seifert earns First Team All-EIVA honors for the first time in his career, having received Second Team All-EIVA honors in 2013 and 2014. This year, Seifert was named the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week on January 11th following a standout performance against ranked USC and UCLA to open the season in Rec Hall during the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge. Ranked first on the team with 92 total blocks, Seifert's average per set ranks seventh in the 2016 EIVA standings.
Hammond rounds out the group with his fourth EIVA postseason accolade. Having earned 2013 EIVA Newcomer of the Year honors, he was also a First Team All-EIVA honoree in 2014 and an EIVA Second Team All-EIVA honoree in 2015. This year, Hammond's guided the Nittany Lions to a .289 hitting percentage, which is currently ranked 13th nationally and second in the conference.
Penn State is set to host the 2016 EIVA Championship this week for the 19th time in program history. The top-seeded Nittany Lions officially kick off postseason play in the EIVA semifinals against fourth-seeded Saint Francis (Pa.) Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Rec Hall
Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth ages 12 and younger. Group tickets are available at a discounted rate of $5 for groups of 20 or more with an advance sale. Admission is free of charge to any student from all four participating institutions with a valid student ID. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY or at the door on gameday.
For more information on the 2016 EIVA Championship at Rec Hall, please click here.