UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – After an excellent all-around performance this past weekend, Penn State senior opposite hitter Calvin Mende was named the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
Mende was not only solid defensively, but he was arguably Penn State's best offensive player as well during the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge Jan. 24 and 26. The Redlands, Calif. native had a team-best 32 kills this past weekend while hitting .509 (32-5-53). He also had 12 digs, seven blocks, and five service aces.
The defensive weekly honor is the first of Mende's career and the third overall weekly honor. He won offensive player of the week twice in his redshirt freshman season.
Penn State defeated No. 6 UCLA on Friday, the 24th, in three sets before taking down USC in five sets on Sunday. Mende had 15 kills hitting .591 against UCLA, followed by a season-highs in kills (17), blocks (6) and digs (7) against USC.
Mende is the second-straight Nittany Lion to win the defensive player of the week honor after Will Bantle won it for the first time Jan. 20.
Penn State hosts two more nonconference matches at Rec Hall this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, against Ball State and Ohio State.
