by McKenzie Quirin

As the Penn State Altoona men's volleyball program prepares to embark on its 2024 season schedule, expectations around the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference are for the Lions to improve this year. Last season, the team finished eighth in regular season play as they went 5-19 overall, including a 5-8 record within the AMCC. In this year's edition of the AMCC preseason coaches' poll, Penn State Altoona was voted sixth place.

Penn State Altoona head coach Bob Kasun, who enters his second season at the helm of the program, is eager for his team to display strong levels of determination and grit. Being successful in conference play brings challenges to any team, but Kasun knows what the Lions can bring day-in and day-out.

"We had a very strong fall season, and our team was very dedicated to working out in the weight room. They are excited for practice to start, and for the season to start. This is a very driven team. Win or lose, I know we can always count on a great effort," Kasun explained. "Our ultimate goal is to win the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship. We know that is a lofty goal, but this is a hard-working, determined team. Our mindset is to earn our success."

Leading Penn State Altoona's returners are senior middles Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) and senior Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby), as well as senior outside hitter and middle blocker Avery Farabaugh (Ebensburg, PA/Cambria Heights). All three players were voted to the All-AMCC team last spring.

Kasun gives credit to these three seniors for their contributions to the program.

"We have a great culture on our team, and that starts with our three seniors, Kish, Ebersole and Farabaugh. They are our leaders and our positive role models," Kasun said. "They have been invaluable to this program with their contributions and have been instrumental on and off the court building up this team. We are counting on their experience to take this team to new heights."

Along with the seniors, three other players will return, including sophomore Justin Fleck (Altoona, PA/Altoona), who will be playing at the libero position. Furthermore, sophomore outside hitter Willem Del Priore (Seven Valleys, PA/Dallastown) and sophomore setter Xavier Vang (Rogers, MN/Rogers) are the last two returnees for the Lions this year.

As the program sees the return of various players, they also welcome a handful of newcomers that will bring in more talent and success to the core of the team. Those new additions include sophomores Zach Gahagan (Martinsburg, PA/Central), Elijah Lingenfelter (Roaring Spring, PA/Central) and Matt Yadush (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall).

The last batch of newcomers are middle hitters Landen Fisher (Altoona, PA/Altoona) and Jacob Sandowski (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg), outside hitter Owen Pratt (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen), liberos Josh Diefenderfer (Malvern, PA/Great Valley) and Aidan Tsang (Roslyn, NY/Roslyn) and setter Mason Grover (Penfield, NY/Penfield) as first-year recruits.

Mixing new and upperclassman talent together, Kasun is excited about the newcomers who are joining this year's team and what they will bring for the season.

"We are very excited about our recruiting class and first-year players. They have added talent, depth and energy to our team. They are going to play an important role in our success," Kasun mentioned.

A challenging non-conference schedule will provide the team with their opportunity to shine in matches that count when looking ahead to AMCC play.

"We are focused on improvement from practice to practice and match to match," Kasun states. "We have a very challenging non-conference schedule with some very strong programs like Wittenberg, St. John Fisher, Lancaster Bible, Elizabethtown, Messiah and Wisconsin Lutheran. That competition will prepare us for our AMCC schedule."

With a team filled with talent and potential, the Lions have a sense of family and unity as they prepare for their upcoming 2024 season with a team-first approach.

"We have depth on the team and that will help with more competitive practices. We want our gym to be as competitive as our matches. There is a commitment from every player on this team to make our team as strong as possible. Team-first is the approach," Kasun accentuates.