UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State's Toby Ezeonu and Ryan Merk were recently named Men's Volleyball Preseason All-Americans by Off the Block. Ezeonu was selected to the first team as a middle blocker, while Merk landed a spot on the second team as a libero.
The Nittany Lions were one of six teams to have multiple players earn the preseason recognition. The honorees were selected by a nationwide voting committee of coaches and media members.
Ezeonu was an honorable-mention All-American as a sophomore before jumping all the way to a spot on the first team as a junior last season. He has been a dominant force in the middle in each of the past two seasons, leading the nation in hitting percentage at .528 in 2022 and finishing second in the category at .490 last year. The first-team All-EIVA selection finished his junior campaign with 210 kills (2.04/set) and 90 blocks (0.87/set).
Merk lived up to the hype as a redshirt freshman last season, earning EIVA Freshman of the Year status, as well as Off the Block's Steve Shondell Award as the nation's top passer. He was an honorable-mention All-American and a first-team All-EIVA honoree. Merk led the conference in digs/set at 1.85.
Penn State, the defending champion in the EIVA, opens the 2024 season at Rec Hall with a match against Central State on Thursday at 7 p.m.
