UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Feb. 1, 2005 - Junior men¡¯s volleyball player
Matt Proper (Guys Mills, Pa.) has been named the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Player of the Week, league officials announced today. The honor is the first of Proper¡¯s career and the first this season for the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions (5-2).
Proper recorded a team- and career-high 22 kills in a crucial EIVA Tait division four-game win against Rutgers-Newark on Jan. 28. With the absence of first team AVCA All-American Keith Kowal because of injury, Proper carried his largest offensive load of the season with 41 swings and an impressive .341 hitting percentage. An all-around player, Proper also posted two aces, two digs and four blocks to tally a career- and match-high 26.0 points.
The following night in the four-game win over No. 12 Ohio State on live national television, Proper again rose the occasion, tying his career-best with 22 kills to hit .341 on 44 swings. He fell one dig shy of his season-high with eight and recorded four blocks, aiding in Penn State's 19.5 team blocking total for the match. He again recorded the highest point total of the match with 25.5 points, his career best.
For the weekend, Proper averaged 5.50 kills per game on .341 hitting with 0.38 service aces per game, 1.25 digs per game and 1.00 blocks per game for 51.5 total points, an average of 6.44 ppg.
For the season, Proper is averaging 3.59 kills per game on .256 hitting with 1.06 digs per game and 1.06 blocks per game for an average of 4.30 points per game.
Penn State travels to the Springfield Hall of Fame Classic on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 4-5. The Nittany Lions take on the host Pride on Friday, Feb. 4 at 8:00 p.m. before facing either Brigham Young or Ball State on Saturday, Feb. 5 at a time yet to be determined.
For more information on the Penn State men¡¯s volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.
