UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State’s Ryan Merk was named the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his performance in a pair of recent matches against NJIT. It’s the second career EIVA weekly award and the first of the season for the redshirt junior libero.
Merk averaged 2.14 digs/set and was a perfect 36-for-36 on serve receive over two matches against the Highlanders. He piled up 11 digs in Penn State’s 3-1 win on Saturday, helping the Nittany Lions even their conference record at 2-2. He tallied four digs over three sets during Friday’s match.
Merk is the third Penn State player to earn an award from the EIVA this season. Will Kuhns and Matthew Luoma each won one Offensive Player of the Week accolade.
Penn State is back at Rec Hall for just the second time this season when it hosts Merrimack on Friday at 7 p.m.