The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team saw its season come to an end on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions suffered a 3-0 loss to Hunter College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at the Hunter Sportsplex.
Hunter (28-6, 8-0 CUNYAC), the eighth seed in the NCAA bracket and the ninth-ranked team nationally, swept the match 25-17, 25-18, 25-13. The Hawks advance to face Springfield College, which is the tournament's top seed and the number one ranked team in the nation, in the next round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, April 28.
Penn State Altoona (26-7, 15-1 NEAC), which was the ninth seed in the bracket, is eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with the loss.
Hunter used a strong presence at the net to neutralize Penn State Altoona's attack while operating efficiently with their own offense. The Hawks totaled 13 blocks as a team, and they committed just 12 attack errors while hitting at a .330 clip.
Lion sophomore outside hitter Bradley Colditz tied for the match-high kill total with nine, and he added five digs and one block assist. Junior middle hitter Daniel Downs had six kills, four digs, one solo block, and one block assist.
Freshman outside hitter Brandon Arentz finished with four kills, four digs, one solo block, and one block assist. Senior outside hitter Jacob Byers also had four kills to go along with one service ace and one block assist. Junior middle hitter Justin Bannister had a team-high three total blocks, recording two block assists and one solo block.
Freshman setter Tommy Kisick had a team-high 11 assists and also contributed one block assist, one kill, and one ace. Sophomore setter Billy Smith had eight assists and seven digs.
Sophomore libero Waldemar Rivera-Berrios tied with Smith for the team-high in digs, accumulating seven digs.
In the first set, Penn State Altoona stayed within striking distance early. Byers and Downs teamed up on a block before Downs recorded a solo block and a kill to help keep the Lions within one point, 9-8, of Hunter's lead. But the Hawks used a 6-1 run to increase their lead to 15-9. The home team maintained its comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the set.
The Lions battled again in the second set, keeping things close until Hunter pulled away with another run. A solo block from Arentz, along with a combination block by Bannister and Arentz, gave Penn State Altoona its first two points of the set. Later, kills by Downs and Colditz, as well as Bannister's solo block, cut Hunter's lead to 11-10. But an 8-3 run by the Hawks made it 19-13, and the home team carried the momentum to a seven-point win in the second set.
Hunter opened the third set by scoring seven of the first 10 points. Ahead 16-10 later in the set, the Hawks reeled off six straight points to up their advantage to 22-10, en route to a 12-point win in the third set to clinch the match.
Despite the season-ending loss, the 2017 season was a banner year for Penn State Altoona men's volleyball. The Lions set program records for overall wins (26), North Eastern Athletic Conference wins (15), and Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference wins (8). Penn State Altoona won its first-ever NEAC and AMCC championships, and the Lions' NCAA Tournament appearance was also the program's first.
View Penn State Altoona Post-Match Press Conference: HERE