Lions Start AMCC Play with Sweep of Behrend
by Casey Burinskas
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team was back at home in the Adler Arena on Saturday afternoon for their first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference match of the season, and the Lions swept Penn State Behrend 3-0 to open their league schedule with a victory.
Penn State Altoona (11-10, 1-0 AMCC) pulled out a 26-24 win in the opening set, then edged Behrend (7-14, 1-1 AMCC) by scores of 25-23 and 25-22 in the next two sets to clinch a sweep in its AMCC opener.
Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) scored a match-high 18.5 points for the Lions on 16 kills, two service aces, and a block assist. Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) had 8.5 points on seven kills, a solo block, and a block assist, and Landen Fisher (Altoona, PA/Altoona) totaled seven points on five kills and four block assists.
Zayden Tamashiro (McLean, VA/McLean) finished with a match-best 31 assists to go along with two block assists and an ace.
Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) led all players on the day in digs with 10.
In the first set, the Lions were first to put up points with a kill from Fries. Behrend got into the game and put up three points to take an early lead, before two kills from McKenna quickly helped put the Lions back in front, 4-3. Fisher entered the scoreboard with a kill, and three in a row from Fries helped carry Altoona up to a 12-7 lead. A service ace falling in from Fries and a kill from Michael Hansen (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) for his first of the game led the Lions to a 17-12 advantage. Behrend came back to eventually tie the score at 24-24, but with two final Lion points on a kill and a service ace from Fries, Altoona closed out the first set with a score of 26-24.
Starting the second set, Altoona scored the first two points with a service error from Behrend and a kill from McKenna. A block from McKenna and three Lucas Petrones (Oxford, PA/Avon Grove Charter) kills added to the Lions' score and tied the set at 8-8. Battling back and forth, Petrones landed another kill while several errors from Behrend helped Altoona pull ahead to a 16-13 lead. A Tamashiro ace and a kill from Fries brought the Lions' lead to 20-17, and kills later in the set by Fries, Fisher, Hansen, and McKenna notched another win for Altoona by a score of 25-23.
Entering the third set, the Lions got out to a 4-1 lead, including getting kills from Owen Pratt (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen) and Fries. Fries came in with another kill to make it 5-5, and Hansen's kill put Altoona up 7-6. A huge block from Tamashiro and Fisher stopped Behrend from tying the game, and another block from Fisher and Petrones followed that, as Altoona established a four-point lead, 10-6. Hansen and McKenna teamed up on a block to make it 15-9, and a Tamashiro and Hansen block got it to 17-12. Kills from Fries, Pratt, and McKenna led Altoona up to set point, 24-19, and a final kill from Fries landed the Lions a 25-22 victory in the third set.
Next up, the men's volleyball team continues its AMCC schedule on the road Tuesday, March 25, when they will take on Carlow University at 7 p.m.
