by Christina Roukas

LATROBE, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team started its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference schedule on the road Tuesday night, when the Lions lost 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-21) to Saint Vincent College.

In the first set, Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) and Xavier Vang's (Rogers, MN/Rogers) duo block put the Lions (0-5, 0-1 AMCC) on the board with the first point of the match, followed by an ace from Vang. Saint Vincent (2-3, 1-1 AMCC) came back to take a 6-5 lead, but Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby) scored a kill to tie the set, 6-6, and the Lions retook the lead on an attack error in the next point. Vang once again served an ace to extend the Lions' lead to 15-12, but Saint Vincent worked its way back in front by one, 20-19. With the Lions trailing by four points shortly thereafter, Alex Ferry's (Warren, PA/Warren) kill closed the gap to 23-20, but Saint Vincent scored the next two points to win the set.

Down by three early in the second set, Kish scored a kill to make it 7-5, and Altoona came back to tie the set at 8-8. Later, Avery Farabaugh's (Ebensburg, PA/Cambria Heights) back row kill kept the Lions within one point, 13-12, of a Saint Vincent lead. The set remained neck-and-neck the rest of the way. A Kish kill tied the score at 15-15, a Farabaugh ace narrowed a Saint Vincent lead to 20-19, and a block from Willem Del Priore (Seven Valleys, PA/Dallastown) and Ebersole tied the set for Penn State Altoona with the next point. A Del Priore kill kept the score even at 22-22, but Saint Vincent scored three of the next four points to win the second set 25-23.

Saint Vincent started the third set with a 2-0 lead, until Ebersole's tip over made it 2-1. Altoona clawed back to tie the set, 5-5, and Del Priore's kill kept the Lions one point behind, 13-12. Ferry's kill tied the score at 15-15, followed by a kill from Farabaugh to put the Lions in the lead. Saint Vincent jumped back on top, but Ebersole's kill several points later kept Penn State Altoona within one, 19-18. However, Saint Vincent pulled away in the closing points to win the third set 25-21.

Ebersole led the Lions with 11 points on nine kills, two block assists, and one ace, while Farabaugh contributed 10 points on nine kills and an ace. Kish also had nine kills while adding six digs, and Del Priore totaled six kills, one ace, and one block assist while recording six digs.

Vang finished with 31 assists to go along with seven digs, two aces, and one block assist.

Jeremy Winter (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) tied for the match-high in digs with 10.

The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team heads back to non-conference play this Friday, February 3, when the Lions will host their first home match of the season against Stevenson University. The match is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.