Ryan Merk, Penn State

Ryan Merk

  • Award
    Defensive Player of the Week
  • Week Of
    1/26/2026
  • Sport
    Men's Volleyball
  • School
    Penn State University
  • Year
    Senior
  • Position
    Libero
  • Hometown
    Chicago, Ill.
  • High School
    Loyola Academy
Penn State's Ryan Merk has earned the EIVA's Defensive Player of the Week award for the second time in three weeks, capturing the honor on Jan. 26, 2026. Ryan continues to be tough to beat on the back line for the No. 10 Nittany Lions despite a pair of road losses to No. 15 McKendree. The redshirt senior libero tallied seven digs and an assist in a 3-0 loss to the Bearcats on Jan. 23 and a dozen digs plus an assist the next day. He totaled 19 digs and two assists on the weekend to go with a 39-for-39 performance in service receptions. He has 52 digs on the season and his weekend total helped him surpass the 700-dig milestone for his career (713). Through six matches he also has allowed only one service ace on 114 chances for a .991 success rate. He ranks third in the EIVA and 12th in the nation averaging 2.48 digs per set. This is the sixth EIVA weekly honor of Merk’s career and second of the season.