Two Penn State Altoona men's volleyball players were recognized for their performances on the court last week, as the Eastern College Athletic Conference announced its weekly awards on Wednesdayafternoon.
Lions sophomore libero Waldemar Rivera-Berrios was named the ECAC Division III South Region Player of the Week, while freshman outside/opposite hitter Brandon Arentz was selected the ECAC Division III South Region Rookie of the Week.
Rivera-Berrios, who was awarded his fourth consecutive North Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award on Tuesday, continued to anchor the Lions' defense during last Friday and Saturday's NEAC Crossover Weekend matches at Lancaster Bible College, when Penn State Altoona reeled off a trio of 3-0 wins.
On Friday evening against Hilbert College, Rivera-Berrios played in two of three sets and totaled eight digs. Later that night against Medaille College, he tallied 17 more digs while playing in all three sets. In three more sets against D'Youville College on Saturday, he recorded 12 digs.
Rivera-Berrios finished his week with 37 digs, averaging 4.63 digs per set. This is his second ECAC weekly award of the season.
Meanwhile, Arentz continued to put up strong numbers for the Lions during his freshman campaign. He was a key part of the Lions' offense in their three NEAC wins this past weekend.
Against Hilbert on Friday, Arentz had eight kills, six digs, four solo blocks, and one block assist. Versus Medaille later that night, he finished with six digs, five kills, two block assists, and one solo block. In Saturday's match against D'Youville, Arentz put up 10 kills, three digs, two block assists, and one solo block.
On the week, Arentz had 23 kills (2.56 kills per set), 15 digs (1.67 digs per set), and 11 total blocks (1.22 blocks per set), and the freshman posted a hitting percentage of .238. This is the second ECAC weekly recognition awarded to Arentz this season.
Penn State Altoona men's volleyball is 9-3 overall and 5-1 in the NEAC. The Lions host their first home date of the season this Saturday, February 25 when they welcome Penn State Behrend and Southern Virginia University to the Adler Gym for a tri-match. Penn State Altoona and Behrend face off at 1:00 p.m., and the Lions take on Southern Virginia at 5:00 p.m. Between those two matches, the two visiting teams will play each other at approximately 3:00 p.m.