by Christina Roukas

HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team added a win and a loss to its record on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions competed in an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference tri-match at Hilbert College's Hafner Recreation Center.

Penn State Altoona (13-8, 10-3 AMCC) swept Hilbert 3-0 in its first match of the day, then lost a tough 3-2 decision to Hiram College in its second and final match.

Match One: Penn State Altoona 3, Hilbert 0

The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team started its Saturday afternoon by beating Hilbert (2-21, 1-12 AMCC) in three sets by scores of 25-9, 25-17, and 25-13. The Lions picked up their 10th AMCC win of the season with the result, and the team finished the match with a season-best .451 attack percentage, a mark that ranks as the fifth-best team attack percentage in a match in program history.

Philip Silva (Brazil/Richard Montgomery) had back-to-back kills early in the first set to help Penn State Altoona get out to a 6-2 lead. Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) and Jared Bodisch (Red Lion, PA/Red Lion) blocked a Hawk attack to increase the Lions' lead to 12-4, part of a nine-point run that saw Penn State Altoona work its way out to a healthy 19-4 advantage against Hilbert, who struggled offensively. Silva closed the set with a kill, helping his team to a 25-9 victory.

In the second set, Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby) scored the first point with a solo block, as Altoona started strong with a four-point run against the Hawks. Five points later, four straight kills by Silva, Bodisch, Trey Sadler (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin), and Ebersole extended the Lions' lead to 11-2. Hilbert responded with a four-point run to narrow its deficit to 11-6, but Sadler and Ryan Martin (Pittsburgh, PA/North Hills) came back with kills to make it 13-7. The Hawks closed the gap to six points late in the set, but a Hilbert error and a Connor Baker (Red Lion, PA/Red Lion) kill finished things off, as the Lions won the set 25-17.

Kish scored the first point of the third set with a kill, and after Hilbert tied the set score at 1-1, the Lions broke the tie and expanded their lead throughout the rest of the set. Baker and Kish combined for a duo block to put Penn State Altoona up 12-8, and the Lions scored the final three points of the set on kills from Avery Farabaugh (Carrolltown, PA/Cambria Heights) and Baker, plus an ace from Sadler. The Lions won the set 25-13 to clinch a 3-0 win in the match.

Bodisch led all players in the match with 10 points, recording seven kills, two service aces, and two block assists to go along with a match-high nine digs. Sadler finished with a team-high eight kills and added one ace for a total of nine points. Kish posted 7.5 points on four kills, two aces, one solo block, and one block assist, and Silva had seven points on six kills and an ace.

Ebersole totaled four kills, three block assists, and one solo block, and Farabaugh had three kills, two aces, and two block assists.

Baker had a match-high 27 assists, and he also recorded four kills, six digs, and one block assist.

Micah Brinker (Lock Haven, PA/PA Cyber) tallied eight digs for the Lions.

Match Two: Hiram 3, Penn State Altoona 2

Penn State Altoona suffered a 3-2 loss to Hiram (15-11, 8-4 AMCC) in the AMCC Match of the Week. The Lions took the first set 25-22 before Hiram won the next two by scores of 25-20 and 25-16 to earn a 2-1 lead in the match. Penn State Altoona stayed alive with a 25-17 win in the fourth set, but the Terriers pulled out the victory with a tight 15-13 win in the fifth set.

Starting the first set, Silva's back row hit put the Lions into the lead. Hiram tied the match 2-2, and the teams continued to battle back and forth for the lead until Hiram went ahead for the first time in the set, 10-9. Sadler's back-to-back kills tied the score 12-12, but Hiram reclaimed the lead, 14-13. Silva's kill tied the match 14-14, and Ebersole's kill in the next point helped the Lions take the lead back, 15-14. Silva's kill broke a 15-15 tie, and Bodisch followed with a kill to give Penn State Altoona a 17-15 lead. Hiram tied things up again, and the teams found themselves even at 20-20. Kills from Baker and Silva put Penn State Altoona up 22-20, and Silva eventually closed the set 25-22 with another kill.

Hiram started the second set with a 2-0 lead. Kills from Kish and Sadler helped the tie score 4-4, but Hiram took a six-point run to leap ahead 10-4. Sadler ended the Terriers' run with a kill, and a Hiram attack error later brought Penn State Altoona back to within three, 13-10. Silva's solo block kept the Lions within four, 18-14, and Kish and Bodisch's duo block made it a three-point difference, 20-17. Sadler followed with another kill to bring Penn State Altoona to within two points, but the Terriers scored five of the next seven points to take the second set 25-20.

The third set started off neck-and-neck, with Hiram eventually taking an 8-5 lead. Penn State Altoona could not find its flow on offense, and the Terriers used a five-point run to take a 10-5 advantage over the Lions. Hiram continued to hold a strong lead and increased it later in the set, eventually winning it 25-16.

Penn State Altoona bounced back to start the fourth set with a 5-0 lead, and Ebersole scored a kill to put his team's lead at 11-7. The Lions found their momentum in the fourth, holding the lead throughout the entire set. Kish aced Hiram to make it 19-14, and Ebersole rejected a Terrier attack to put the Lions up by six, 22-16. A Hiram setting error and kills by Bodisch and Sadler finished off the Terriers in the fourth set, as the Lions won 25-17 to even the match score at two sets apiece.

Hiram took a 2-0 lead in the fifth set, but Sadler scored a kill to bring Penn State Altoona back to within one, 3-2. After Hiram went up by four, Silva scored a kill to keep the Lions within three, 8-5, and a Bodisch kill also kept the difference at three points, 10-7. Hiram scored the next point, but Penn State Altoona used a four-point run to come back and tie the match 11-11 on Bodisch's kill. Hiram reclaimed its lead, however, going up 14-12. Silva's kill kept Penn State Altoona in the set, but the Terriers scored a kill on the next point to win the set 15-13 and take the match.

Bodisch led the Lions with 15.5 points, 15 kills, and 12 digs, and Sadler had 14 points on 14 kills while adding seven digs. Silva totaled 11.5 points with 10 kills, seven digs, one solo block, and one block assist. Kish added six kills and two block assists, and Ebersole chipped in five kills and two solo blocks.

Baker had a team-high 38 assists to go along with 10 digs and three kills. Brinker finished with eight digs while tallying five assists.

Penn State Altoona men's volleyball will play one more road match before returning home for its final four contests of the regular season. The Lions will travel to Lancaster, Pa. on Tuesday, March 29 to take on non-conference opponent Lancaster Bible College in a match beginning at 7:00 p.m.