Men's Volleyball Gordon Brunskill

EIVA weekly honors given to George Mason's Herbert, Penn State's Merk

George Mason and Penn State have once again delivered the EIVA's weekly award winners. The Patriots' Jackson Herbert is the EIVA Offensive Player of the Week for March 16, 2026, while the Nittany Lions' Ryan Merk captures the defensive honor. George Mason has produced four different Offensive Players of the Week this season, including the last three. The Nittany Lions have picked up six total EIVA weekly honors.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jackson Herbert, Jr., OPP, George Mason
Jackson delivered a pair of impressive performances in two Patriot victories. The junior opposite put down five kills on an error-free eight swings, adding an ace, a dig and four blocks while playing two sets in a 3-0 sweep of Barton on March 13. The next day he had 15 kills on .542 hitting with one ace, one assist, one block and four digs in a 3-1 victory against Fairleigh Dickinson. He also was 11 for 11 in service receptions in each match. In six sets he totaled 20 kills on .563 hitting with two aces, one assist, five digs and five blocks. His .294 hitting percentage ranks second in the EIVA. This is the first EIVA weekly honor of Herbert’s career.
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ryan Merk, R-Sr., L, Penn State
Ryan continues his reliable backrow play for No. 15 Penn State this season. In two top-10 losses on the West Coast, the redshirt senior libero totaled 18 digs, one assist and one kill while making one error in 40 service receptions. On March 11 against No. 6 Pepperdine, which entered the weekend as the nation’s No. 3 team in aces per set, he had one reception error in 25 chances, adding eight digs, one assist and one kill – his first of the season and third of his career. He recorded 10 digs against No. 5 Southern California on March 14 while posting a perfect 15 for 15 in service receptions. His showing against the Trojans gave him his sixth match of the season with double figures in digs and 32 for his career. It was his 11th match of 2026 with no reception errors. In 18 contests, Merk has 11 errors in 310 chances (.965). He leads the EIVA averaging 2.32 digs per set and ranked 18th nationally entering the weekend. He also has 807 career digs, becoming the fifth Nittany Lion to reach the 800 milestone. He is nearing No. 4 on the Lions’ list – Ramon Hernandez (820 from 1991-94). This is the third EIVA weekly honor of the season for Merk and seventh of his career.

2026 EIVA Weekly Award Winners