UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Two members of the Penn State men's volleyball team (2-1) picked up EIVA weekly awards, conference officials announced Monday (Jan. 14). Sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) was named the EIVA Offensive Player of the Week, while redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) was tabbed the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week.
The pair led the Nittany Lions to a 2-1 record in their opening weekend of play in the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii. Penn State defeated Hawaii, 3-2, and No. 10 Ohio State, 3-0, while suffering a 3-2 setback to No. 5 UCLA.
Russell, who was named to the Outrigger All-Tournament Team, led the Lions offensively with 42 kills and 45.0 points. He finished second on the team with 22 digs, averaging 1.69 per set and had a team-best 3.23 kills per set on .295 hitting. Against the Bruins, Russell led PSU with 12 kills and was second on the squad with eight digs. In the win against Hawaii, he had a career-high 17 kills and registered a .306 hitting percentage, while also leading the Lions with seven digs. He closed out the weekend with 13 kills on .391 hitting against the Buckeyes.
Curry was the starting libero for all three matches in Honolulu. He posted a team-high 29 digs (2.23 per set) and also had six assists. His effective passing helped Penn State hit .296 for the week. Against UCLA, Curry posted 12 digs as Penn State registered a .303 hitting percentage. On Friday against the Warriors, Curry tallied six digs and followed it up with a team-high 11 digs versus Ohio State.
Penn State returns home on Jan. 18 to host No. 13 Lewis. Action is set for 7 p.m. in the South Gym of Rec Hall.