Penn State men’s volleyball has dropped down one spot to No. 20 in the latest AVCA Poll, released Monday afternoon.

This came after the Nittany Lions split a two-game road series against NJIT as they got swept on Friday but responded by winning in four sets the next day. Despite the drop, Penn State has been featured in the AVCA for 88 straight weeks.

Penn State is the second highest-ranked team from the EIVA Conference in the poll, as NJIT checked into the poll at No. 19 after being unranked last week.

Also, Penn State’s Ryan Merk was named EIVA’s Defensive Player of the Week after tallying 2.14 digs per set and going a perfect 36-36 on serve receive during the two-game series against NJIT. He had 11 digs as well during Saturday’s win.

The Nittany Lions will return to Rec Hall this Friday when they take on Merrimack at 7 p.m. as part of their Carnival Night.

About the Author

Fernando Martinez

Fernando was a writer for Onward State who majored in broadcast journalism with minors in Spanish and sports studies. During his time on staff, he covered both men’s and women’s volleyball, as well as men’s and women’s soccer. You can follow him on Instagram at fernando9015 or email him at fermtzrdem@gmail.com to see what he is up to today.

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