Penn State Men’s Volleyball’s Ryan Merk Named EIVA Defensive Player Of The Week
Penn State men’s volleyball Ryan Merk has been named Defensive Player of the Week by the EIVA, the team announced Monday afternoon. This is the second time Merk has received this title this season, and the sixth time he has in his career.
๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฎ๐๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) January 26, 2026๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ
Averaged 2.71 digs/set against McKendree
2.77 pass rating#WeAre pic.twitter.com/msZHrnpr70
Merk was honored with this title after averaging 2.71 digs per set over two matches last week, with a total of seven in a three-set match before gaining 12 more in a four-set on Saturday. Merk was an impressive 39-39 on serve receptions and has only been aced once in 114 attempts this season.
This is Penn State’s third EIVA weekly honor so far this season.
The Nittany Lions will host No. 3 Hawaii at Rec Hall for the first time in program history, playing at 6 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday.
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