UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's volleyball redshirt senior Matthew McLaren has been named the EIVA Offensive Player of the Week for his individual efforts the week of March 25-31.
In three matches, all wins for the Nittany Lions, McLaren posted 34 total kills while hitting .406 (34-10-59). He also had four service aces and seven digs.
Last Tuesday in a 3-0 win over Saint Francis, McLaren led the Nittany Lions with 10 kills while adding a pair of digs defensively.
Friday at Harvard, McLaren powered the Nittany Lions to an important four-set win behind 18 kills and .500 hitting percentage (18-3-30). His 18 kills set a new season high, surpassing his 16 kills Jan. 18 against BYU.
McLaren's most efficient offensive outing came Saturday evening at Sacred Heart when he hit .714 (6-1-7) with three service aces which tied a season high he set twice this season last on March 2 vs. NJIT.
This marks the first career EIVA weekly award for McLaren who was named a First Team All-EIVA performer in 2018. McLaren currently ranks second on the Nittany Lions with 196 kills and third with 222.5 points.
McLaren has had double-digit kills in five of his last six matches and 13-of-22 matches overall in 2019.
McLaren is the first Nittany Lion in 2019 to win an offensive player of the week award and the third award winner overall. Jason Donorovich and Henrik Falck Lauten each received EIVA Defensive Player of the Week honors Feb. 18 and March 25.
Penn State hosts its final two home matches of the 2019 regular season this weekend, March 5-6. The Nittany Lions take on Charleston Friday evening and will play George Mason Saturday on senior night. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m.
For more information on Penn State men's volleyball, follow the Nittany Lions on Twitter @PennStateMVBALL and Instagram @pennstatemvball and "like" the Penn State men's volleyball page on Facebook.
