This week's news and notes:
The EIVA's top two teams, Princeton and Penn State, produced this week's Players of the Week. Their teams meet in the final weekend of the regular season with matches April 18 and 19 at Penn State's Rec Hall and the EIVA regular-season title on the line.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nyherowo Omene, Sr., PIN, Princeton
Nyherowo was the Tigers’ go-to man in a pair of wins vs. Harvard that has his team on the brink of an EIVA regular-season title. The Tigers have at least a share of the conference crown, and can take the title outright with a win in either of their two matches at Penn State on April 18-19. The senior pin hitter totaled 43 kills on .329 hitting with three assists, three aces, 11 digs and a pair of blocks. He also was a perfect 16 for 16 in service receptions. Omene notched 18 kills on .424 hitting with one ace, one assist, one block and six digs during a 3-0 sweep on April 11. The next day, Senior Day for the Tigers, he had 25 kills while hitting .269 with two aces, two assists, five digs and a solo block. During the weekend he reached another milestone and now has 1,032 career kills. Omene has posted double figures in kills in 18 of his 21 matches in 2025, marked his third outing with 20-plus kills and has at least 15 kills in a dozen matches. He leads the EIVA in kills (4.25), aces (0.47) and points (5.14) per set and is second in hitting percentage (.333). Nationally, he ranks third in points, sixth in kills and 16th in aces per set. This is the fifth EIVA weekly honor for Omene this season and sixth of his career.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ryan Merk, R-Jr., L, Penn State
Ryan anchored the defense in a pair of must-win matches to keep the Nittany Lions’ hopes alive in defending their regular-season conference crown. The redshirt junior libero totaled 26 digs and 10 assists while posting a 34-for-36 showing in service receptions in two 3-2 victories at George Mason. He had 14 digs and six assists in the first match and a dozen digs with four assists in the second contest. His work helped the Lion defense hold the Patriots to .219 hitting and 1.0 aces per set on the weekend. George Mason entered the matches hitting .254 and averaging 1.44 aces per set for the year. Merk ranks third in the EIVA with 1.93 digs per set and has double figures in digs in six matches this season. This is the third weekly conference honor this season for Merk and fourth of his career.
AROUND THE EIVA
- The EIVA has reached the final weekend of the regular season, and very little has been decided. Princeton has earned at least a share of the regular-season title and is guaranteed a top-two finish and first-round bye in the EIVA Championship Tournament. Penn State could earn a share of the regular-season crown, and the top seeding, with two wins this weekend against the Tigers. The teams tangle in Rec Hall on April 18-19. Princeton needs only one win to secure the title outright.
- When the Lions and Tigers tangle this weekend, it will feature a pair of the nation’s top blocking defenses, with each in the NCAA’s Div. I-II top 10. Princeton is No. 5, averaging 2.481 blocks per set, while Penn State is No. 10 at 2.424.
- The No. 1 seed will host the EIVA Championship Tournament from April 23-26. The bracket can be found below along with tiebreak criteria and head-to-head tiebreak comparisons for completed matches.
- Princeton, riding a seven-match win streak, solidified its conference lead with a sweep of two matches from Harvard. The Tigers took the opener 3-0 but needed a rally to win 3-2 in the second contest. The Crimson held a 13-10 fifth-set lead, but the Tigers won the final five points. Nyherowo Omene had two kills in the closing run, six of the team’s eight kills in the frame, plus an ace.
- Penn State kept its hopes alive with a pair of five-set wins at George Mason. The tight battles saw the Lions edge the Patriots 159-146 in scored points and 231-220 in the scoreboard totals. Each collected 66 scored points in the first contest, while in the second, PSU’s 15-12 fifth-set win was the only frame decided by more than two points, with three extended into overtime. It was the 140th all-time meeting between the programs.
- NJIT has been surging, with five straight wins and a 15-2 set record over the stretch. The Highlanders swept two from Sacred Heart thanks to a dominating 31-12 blocking advantage. The Pioneers were held to .086 hitting for the weekend, including minus-.308 in the series’ opening set.
- With a bye for the regular-season’s final weekend, and not making the six-team tournament field, Sacred Heart saw its season end with the matches vs. NJIT.
- Princeton is No. 19 in the AVCA top 20 and No. 18 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings. Harvard is the only team receiving votes on more than one ballot that is outside the coaches’ top 20. Charleston is No. 5 in Off the Block’s Div. II coaches’ poll.
NEXT WEEK: Monday — Final weekly awards; Tuesday — All-EIVA & individual awards; Wednesday — EIVA tournament notes.
Last Week’s Top Performers
- Owen Fanning (Sr., OH, HARV) had 22 kills on .563 hitting with an ace, five digs and 10 blocks. In Match 2 he hit 14-2-17 .706 with eight blocks.
- Owen Woolbert (So., MB, HARV) hit 16-4-27 .444 with an ace, four digs and seven blocks.
- Mason Rice (Fr., PIN, PRIN) had 21 kills, an ace, eight digs and six blocks, two solo. In Match 1 he hit 16-1-27 .556.
- Ryan Vena (Jr., MB, PRIN) hit 14-2-23 .522 with an ace, an assist, five digs and four blocks, two solo. He his .500 or better in both matches vs. Harvard.
- Will Kuhns (R-Sr., OH, PSU) had 29 kills, five aces, four assists, 10 digs, five blocks with one solo, and was 45 for 46 in service receptions.
- Owen Rose (R-Jr., MB, PSU) hit 15-3-25 .480 with seven digs and seven blocks.
- Evan Snodgrass (Jr., MB, GMU) hit 34-6-66 .424 with two aces, two assists, four digs and 10 blocks.
- Liam French (R-Jr., OH, GMU) had 19 kills, two aces, an assist, five digs and a block playing only in Match 1 vs. PSU.
- Jackson Herbert (So., OPP, GMU) had 29 kills, nine digs and a pair of blocks.
- Josh Gregg (Sr., OH, NJIT) had 26 kills on .364 hitting with six aces, nine digs and 10 blocks, one solo.
- Andrew Fedmasu (Jr., MB, NJIT) had 11 kills on .350 hitting with an assist, three digs and 15 blocks, five solo. In Match 1 he had seven kills and a career-high 11 blocks, five solo.
- Harryzen Soares (1Y, L, SHU) posted 20 digs and two assists.
EIVA TIE-BREAK CRITERIA
If two or more teams are tied for a position within the conference, the tie will be broken by the first differentiating point of comparison of the following criteria:
1. Head-to-head match record
2. Head-to-head sets record
3. Head-to-head total points scored
4. Sets win percentage in conference matches
5. Coin toss by the EIVA Commissioner.
TIE-BREAK COMPARISONS
Should there be ties for any spot in the standings, according to the EIVA tiebreaker criteria, these are the tie-break comparisons through conference matches completed April 5. These advantages do not apply to three-way ties, which combine the criteria of all three teams involved. For two-way ties:
- Princeton wins all tiebreaks (all by head-to-head match record except vs. Charleston, head-to-head total points 189-183)
- Harvard over Penn State (head-to-head total points 141-138)
- NJIT over Penn State (head-to-head sets 4-3)
- Penn State over Charleston (head-to-head sets 4-3)
- Charleston over Harvard (head-to-head sets 5-4)
- Harvard over George Mason (head-to-head sets 5-3)
- George Mason over NJIT (head-to-head sets 5-4)
- NJIT over Charleston (head-to-head matches 2-0)
- Penn State over George Mason (head-to-head matches 2-0)
EIVA Standings
EIVA Schedule
EIVA Statistics
EIVA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE DEFENSIVE
Jan. 13 Will Kuhns, PSU Curtis Raines, Charleston
Jan. 20 Xander Bomert, Charleston Braeden Goebbert, NJIT
Jan. 27 Alessandro Negri, NJIT Elijah Lazor, George Mason
Feb. 3 Nyherowo Omene, Princeton Alexander Lillie,George Mason
Feb. 10 Xander Bomert, Charleston Alexander Lillie,George Mason
Feb. 17 Matthew Louma, Penn State Alexander Lillie,George Mason
Feb. 24 Nyherowo Omene, Princeton Ryan Merk, Penn State
March 3 Robert Evangelista, G Mason Will Kuhns, Penn State
March 10 Zach Berty, Harvard Korben Phillips, Charleston
March 17 Xander Bomert, Charleston Ryan Merk, Penn State
March 24 Nyherowo Omene, Princeton Dylan McClung, Sacred Heart
March 31 Paul Stommel, Charleston Owen Woolbert, Harvard
April 7 Alessandro Negri, NJIT Nyherowo Omene, Princeton
April 14 Nyherowo Omene, Princeton Ryan Merk, Penn State
EIVA RECORD VS. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
| AVCA Top 20 (Non EIVA) |
0-36 |
| Big West |
0-17 |
| Conf. Carolinas |
4-0 |
| ECC |
9-1 |
| IVA |
4-6 |
| MIVA |
3-10 |
| MPSF |
0-14 |
| NEC |
14-4 |
| SIAC |
0-0 |
| Independent |
3-2 |
| NCAA Div. III |
1-0 |
EIVA IN NCAA TOP 10 STAT RANKINGS
Div. I-II Team Leaders
(via ncaa.com last updated April 14)
Aces Per Set: 1. LBSU 2.26
Assists Per Set: 1. USC 12.55; 4. UCWV 12.06
Blocks Per Set: 1. USC 2.767; 5. Princeton 2.481; 10. Penn St. 2.424
Digs Per Set: 1. Erskine 10.78
Hitting Percentage: 1. LBSU .395
Kills Per Set: 1. USC 13.49; 7. UCWV 12.69
Opponent Hit. Percentage: 1. Linc. Mem. .156
Team Attacks Per Set: 1. Ky. State 30.30; 10. UCWV 28.51
Div. I-II Individual Leaders
(via ncaa.com last updated April 14)
Aces Per Set: 1. Moni Nikolov (LBSU) 0.943
Assists Per Set: 1. Caleb Blanchette (USC) 10.88; 9. Paul Stommel (UCWV) 10.19
Attacks Per Set: 1. Alendy Sincoul (LeMoyne-Owen) 10.10
Blocks Per Set: 1. Nicodemus Meyer (Loyola Chicago) 1.250
Digs Per Set: 1. Benjamin Latham (Central St) 3.09
Hitting Percentage: 1. Matthew Gentry (Linc. Mem.) .579
Kills Per Set: 1. Deklan Wingo (Tusculum) 4.98; 6. Nyherowo Omene (PRIN) 4.25
Points Per Set: 1. Deklan Wingo (Tusculum) 5.72; 3. Nyherowo Omene (PRIN) 5.14
NATIONAL RANKINGS
AVCA Div. I-II Coaches’ Poll
April 14
| Rank |
School [first-place votes] |
Pts. Adj. |
Rec. |
Prev. |
| 1 |
Long Beach State [23] |
460 |
24-2 |
1 |
| 2 |
UCLA |
431 |
19-4 |
2 |
| 3 |
Hawai‘i |
414 |
23-4 |
4 |
| 4 |
UC Irvine |
389 |
18-6 |
5 |
| 5 |
Southern California |
369 |
19-5 |
3 |
| 6 |
Loyola Chicago |
326 |
22-3 |
6 |
| 7 |
Pepperdine |
311 |
17-7 |
8 |
| 8 |
BYU |
299 |
17-9 |
7 |
| 9 |
CSUN |
292 |
18-8 |
9 |
| 10 |
UC San Diego |
235 |
17-9 |
10 |
| 11 |
Stanford |
222 |
11-12 |
13 |
| 12 |
McKendree |
203 |
19-7 |
12 |
| 13 |
Grand Canyon |
200 |
15-9 |
11 |
| 14 |
Lewis |
169 |
21-8 |
14 |
| 15 |
Ohio State |
144 |
16-10 |
15 |
| 16 |
Lincoln Memorial |
110 |
21-1 |
16 |
| 17 |
Ball State |
97 |
17-12 |
17 |
| 18 |
UC Santa Barbara |
68 |
11-14 |
18 |
| 19 |
Princeton |
60 |
13-9 |
19 |
| 20 |
Mount Olive |
25 |
19-3 |
20 |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Harvard 5
1 team mentioned on only one ballot for 1 point
Dropped out: None
OFF THE BLOCK Media Poll
April 15
| Rank |
School |
Rec. |
Pts. |
Prev. |
| 1 |
Long Beach State |
24-2 |
100 (10) |
1 |
| 2 |
UCLA |
19-4 |
89 |
2 |
| 3 |
Hawai’i |
23-4 |
81 |
4 |
| 4 |
UC Irvine |
18-6 |
68 |
5 |
| 5 |
USC |
19-5 |
57 |
3 |
| 6 |
Loyola |
22-3 |
46 |
6 |
| 7 |
Pepperdine |
17-7 |
30 |
9 |
| 8 |
CSUN |
18-8 |
29 |
7 |
| 9 |
BYU |
17-9 |
21 |
8 |
| 10 |
McKendree |
19-7 |
14 |
10 |
Also receiving votes: Lincoln Memorial 8; Stanford 3; UC San Diego 3; Grand Canyon 1
Dropped out of rankings: N/A
OTB Div. II Coaches’ Poll
April 9
| Rank |
School |
Rec. |
Pts. |
Prev. |
| 1 |
McKendree |
17-7 |
60 (6) |
1 |
| 2 |
Lewis |
20-8 |
53 |
2 |
| 3 |
Lincoln Memorial |
19-1 |
49 |
3 |
| 4 |
Mount Olive |
18-3 |
41 |
4 |
| T-5 |
Daemen |
11-10 |
31 |
5 |
| T-5 |
Charleston |
11-14 |
32 |
5 |
| 7 |
St. Thomas Aquinas |
13-9 |
18 |
8 |
| T-8 |
Concordia |
9-16 |
11 |
7 |
| T-8 |
Vanguard |
8-15 |
11 |
10 |
| 10 |
Menlo |
9-12 |
9 |
NR |
Also receiving votes: Quincy 7; Tusculum 4; Belmont Abbey 2; Jessup 1
Dropped out of rankings: Quincy
NCAA RPI RANKINGS
April 14
1 Long Beach State
2 Hawaii
3 UCLA
4 UC Irvine
5 Loyola Chicago
6 McKendree
7 BYU
8 CSUN
9 Grand Canyon
10 Southern California
18 Princeton
23 Penn State
24 NJIT
25 Harvard
29 George Mason
37 Charleston
45 Sacred Heart
