Photo courtesy Penn State athletics.

Luke Murray, a 6-0 setter for then-No. 4 Penn State University, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week. He earned the award for his strong play and leadership in the Nittany Lions’ two wins against top competition in the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic. In Penn State’s first match, a sweep of perennial NAIA-power California Baptist, Murray led the Nittany Lions to a .371 team hitting percentage with 47 assists, leading three players to double-digit kills.  Murray also contributed five digs and two blocks. On Saturday, he guided his team to a .375 hitting percentage, while scoring his third career double-double with 63 assists and 11 digs in Penn State’s 3-2 victory over then-No. 3 Long Beach State. He also tallied five blocks in the match. For the week, Murray averaged 13.75 assists per game, while leading the Nittany Lions to a .444 team hitting percentage. In addition, he averaged two digs, 1.25 points and nearly one block per game. Murray is the 12th player from Penn State, and the second this season, to be named Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week. The last Nittany Lion to earn the award was Matt Anderson on February 11, 2008. Penn State is coached by Mark Pavlik.