UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Feb. 21, 2005 - Senior men¡¯s volleyball player
Keith Kowal (Reading, Pa.) has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II men¡¯s volleyball National Player of the Week, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced today. The honor is the second of Kowal¡¯s career, as he was honored last season on Feb. 23. Kowal¡¯s award marks the second national honor for Penn State this season, as junior
Matt Proper (Guys Mills, Pa.) picked up the accolade on Feb. 7, and it is the eighth National Player of the Week honor ever for a Nittany Lion.
Kowal was named to the Golden Dome Classic All-Tournament team after leading the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions to sweeps of IPFW (30-28, 30-26, 30-22) and No. 12 Ohio State (30-24, 30-20, 30-21). Earlier in the week, Kowal was also vital in Penn State¡¯s three-game victory over Division III No. 1 Juniata (30-18, 30-21, 30-24).
Earlier in the week against Juniata, the 6-7 middle racked up six kills on an errorless 13 swings to hit .462. Kowal also was a force at the net, recording eight blocks, including three solo efforts. Versus IPFW on Friday night, Kowal provided 13 kills and hit .545 with four blocks for 15.0 points, and against the Buckeyes on Saturday night, he recorded six kills and three blocks. For the weekend, Kowal averaged 2.78 kills per game while hitting .489 with 0.44 digs per game and 1.67 blocks per game.
For the season, Kowal is averaging 2.44 kills per game on .433 hitting with 0.44 digs per game and 1.40 blocks per game.
Penn State brings a 12-match winning streak back to Rec Hall on Friday, Feb. 25 when it takes on NYU at 7:00 p.m. The Nittany Lions then host Springfield at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26 in the South Gym of Rec Hall. Admission to both matches is free.
For more information on the Penn State men¡¯s volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.
