UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men’s volleyball swept the first conference awards of the season as Sean Harvey was named EIVA Offensive Player of the Week and Ryan Merk was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week. The Nittany Lions picked up the honors after opening the season with a four-set win over Mount Olive and a sweep over Manhattan at Rec Hall.
Harvey earned a weekly award from the conference for the first time after hitting .426 with 27 kills (3.86/set) over the two wins. He opened the season with 13 kills, three blocks, and five digs in the win over Mount Olive. The outside hitter followed that by hitting .667 with 14 kills, one block, one dig, and one ace in the victory over Manhattan
Merk led Penn State’s defensive effort that resulted in the opposition hitting just .158 over the two matches. He totaled 18 digs with nine in each match, giving him 2.57/set for the week. The redshirt senior libero also helped get the offense going with a 36-36 mark on serve receive. Merk is now a five-time EIVA Defensive Player of the Week honoree.
No. 13 Penn State is back at Rec Hall when it hosts St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions then host No. 9 Lewis on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both matches will stream on B1G+.