UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's volleyball junior setter Cole Bogner was chosen the EIVA Offensive Player of the Week and junior opposite Cal Fisher was named EIVA Defensive Player of the Week and freshman outside hitter Michael Valenzi was selected Off the Block national freshman of the week for their individual play this past weekend, March 19 and 20.
All three players were extremely effective in leading the Nittany Lions to back-to-back sweeps of No. 11 NJIT in Newark, N.J. The pair of Bogner and Fisher becomes the third Nittany Lion duo this season to sweep the weekly EIVA honors.
It is also the second EIVA awards won by both Bogner and Fisher respectively.
Bogner paced Penn State's offense with two impressive matches, totaling 71 assists and helping the Nittany Lions hit .314 for the weekend. His 37 assists on Friday, March 19, were a personal-best in a three-set match this season.
The Chesapeake, Va. native followed up on Saturday with 34 assists and the Nittany Lions hit .439 as a team to complete a second 3-0 win.
Bogner has at least 30 assists in 12 of 16 matches this season and his setting prowess has allowed the Nittany Lions to hit .318 as a team this season, the eighth-best mark in the NCAA.
Fisher added a pair of great all-around matches to win the defensive weekly award. Fisher had 27 digs for the weekend, including a career-high 19 digs in last Friday's 3-0 win. That total is the second most in a three-set match by any player in the NCAA this season (Edwin Montaruli, Barton, 20 digs).
The Pittsburgh, Pa. native was also effective offensively with 10 kills on Friday to tally his second career double-double. On Saturday, Fisher had eight digs and 13 kills while hitting .440.
Fisher's defensive player of the week honor validates his overall great play for Penn State this season, adding a defensive spotlight for a player that has been an offensive force for the Nittany Lions. His 37 service aces still lead the nation and his 3.38 points per set rank second in the EIVA.
Valenzi had a pair of double-digit kill matches for the Nittany Lions over the weekend as he continues to develop into a consistent point scorer for the Nittany Lions.
He had a match-high 15 kills and hit .370 in Friday's sweep and followed that effort up with 10 more kills hitting .474 in Saturday's win.
From Boca Raton, Fla., Valenzi has reached double-digits kills in four matches this season and has at least five kills in nine of his last 12 matches. His 112 kills this season is second most in the conference among freshman.
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.
