by Casey Burinskas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team opened up its 2026 season in a tri-match at Gallaudet University on Friday, when the Lions went up against host Gallaudet and the University of Lynchburg.

Penn State Altoona (1-1) swept host Gallaudet, 3-0, in its first match of the day before falling 3-1 to Lynchburg in the second match.

Match One: Penn State Altoona 3, Gallaudet 0

Penn State Altoona started its season off with a victory, as the Lions battled past Gallaudet (0-1) in three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-21, and 27-25.

Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) finished with a match-high 13 points for Penn State Altoona, getting 10 kills and three service aces. Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had 10 points on six kills, two solo blocks, two block assists, and one service ace, and Michael Hansen (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) added eight points on five kills, two solo blocks, and two block assists.

Axel Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA/Malibu) led the Lions in assists with 17 while chipping in eight digs.

Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) totaled a team-best 13 digs.

In the first set against Gallaudet, the Lions strung together points with a McKenna kill and attack errors by Gallaudet to grab an early 3-1 lead. The Lions slowly built momentum, getting a service ace from Fries and multiple points off Bison attack errors to move in front, 8-4. Gallaudet responded with kills to keep things close and trim the gap, but Altoona answered each time with kills and solid blocking at the net to maintain the lead. Midway through the set, Altoona stretched its lead to 18-14 following a Fries kill, but Gallaudet refused to fall too far behind, rallying to close the gap to 20-19 and then tie the score at 21-21. The Lions struck back on Bison errors and a block by Hansen to reach set point at 24-21. After a Gallaudet kill, Altoona sealed the first set at 25-22 on a final Bison attack error, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set was tight from the opening serve, as the teams traded points early. Neither side led by more than two points until the latter portion of the set, with kills from McKenna, Fries, and Fletcher Fisher (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) helping Altoona stay even with Gallaudet. The score was knotted at 7-7 and again at 9-9 before the Bison briefly gained momentum behind a kill and an Altoona kill to go in front, 11-9. The Lions answered quickly, using a kill from Fries to help erase the difference and tie the score at 13-13. Later, a Hansen kill sparked a small run that put the Lions ahead. Gallaudet continued to pressure, but Altoona remained strong late in the set. After a McKenna service ace pushed the Lions' advantage to 21-17, Altoona took advantage of Bison errors to maintain its lead. A Fries kill from Shawn Thomas (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) and a Gallaudet service error brought the Lions to set point at 24-20. Altoona closed out the set at 25-21 by another McKenna kill, earning a 2-0 lead in the match.

Altoona and Gallaudet battled through a competitive third set. Gallaudet jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but the Lions responded immediately with a Hansen kill, a McKenna ace, and a pair of points off Bison errors to go up 4-2. The teams traded points through several ties early, including at 6-6 and 7-7, with kills by Fisher and Fries helping Altoona stay in rhythm. Midway through the set, Gallaudet gained a small lead and pushed it to 13-10 from a kill and pressure at the net. Altoona answered again, using a Fries block and kill and a McKenna service ace to jump back on top, 14-13. From there, the set tightened, as neither team took control over the next stretch. Kills by Fisher and Fries and a block by Hansen helped the Lions keep pace with Gallaudet, and Joshua Harclerode's (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) service ace gave Altoona a 22-20 lead. Hansen's kill and a Bison attack error got the Lions to set point, 24-21. But Gallaudet refused to go away, forcing extra points by tying the score at 24-24 and 25-25. Penn State Altoona closed out the match, however, as the Lions got a point from a Gallaudet service error before a solo block from Fries won the set, 27-25, to complete the 3-0 victory for Altoona.

Match Two: Lynchburg 3, Penn State Altoona 1

Lynchburg (1-0) earned a 25-23 win in the opening set, but the Lions bounced back and pulled out a 26-24 victory in the second. However, the Hornets won the next two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-20 to defeat Altoona in four sets.

Fries led the Lions in points with 12, accumulating 11 kills and one service ace. McKenna had 10.5 points on 10 kills and a block assist, and Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) added nine points on nine kills. Jason Velez (Forest Hill, MD/Bel Air) had six points on three service aces, two block assists, and two kills.

Jimenez led the Lions in assists with 29, and McKenna tallied a team-high nine digs while Chan recorded eight digs.

In the opening set against Lynchburg, Altoona battled through with the score being tied early at 3-3 and again at 4-4, with McKenna and Weathersbee providing strong early offense for the Lions. Altoona gained a slight lead behind kills from Velez, Weathersbee, Fries, McKenna, and Hansen, pushing ahead 8-5 and later 10-8 as the teams continued exchanging points. Lynchburg answered with a scoring run generated by strong serves and kills, allowing the Hornets to tie at 11-11 and eventually move in front. The Lions stayed within striking distance through the middle portion of the set, as Fries and Weathersbee combined for kills to keep Altoona tied at 21-21. Late in the set, Lynchburg was able to separate with kills, building narrow leads to 23-21 and 24-22. Penn State Altoona fought back with a McKenna kill to stay alive, but Lynchburg closed out the set at 25-23 on a final kill, handing the Lions their first lost set of the night as Altoona stared down a 1-0 deficit.

In the second set, Lynchburg worked its way out to leads of 8-5 and 10-7, before Altoona came back to tie the score at 10-10, helped by kills from Weathersbee and Fries. With the score knotted at 13-13, the Lions scored three straight points on a Lynchburg attack error, a block from Velez and McKenna, and a Hornet setting error. Back-to-back Lynchburg errors helped Altoona to a four-point advantage, 18-14, but the Hornets rallied to overtake the Lions' lead and jump in front, 23-22. Altoona countered with kills from Weathersbee and Velez to get to set point twice, 24-23 and 25-24, and a Lynchburg attack error ended the set at 26-24 for the Lions, tying the match score at 1-1.

Lynchburg scored the first point of the third set and never trailed, as the Hornets got out to an 8-3 lead. Altoona was able to tie the score at 12-12 behind kills from McKenna and Fries and service aces from Velez, and Fisher's kill kept the score even at 13-13. But Lynchburg responded by rebuilding its lead, going ahead by scores of 19-14 and 23-18. The Hornets capped the set with a kill and a block, closing it out by a score of 25-19 to put the Lions in a 2-1 hole.

Penn State Altoona started the fourth set by establishing a 5-3 lead, getting kills from Weathersbee and McKenna and an ace from Fries along the way. Lynchburg came back to tie the score at 9-9, but Altoona got three straight points on Hornet errors after that to jump back in front, 12-9. Lynchburg came back again, but the Lions kept pace as kills from Weathersbee and Fries tied the score at 14-14. Later, Velez's service ace made it 18-18. But the Hornet scored the next four points and never looked back, as Lynchburg went on to win the fourth set 25-20 and take the match by a 3-1 margin.

Next up, Penn State Altoona will face off against regional non-conference opponent Saint Vincent College in a neutral-site match on Wednesday, January 28. That contest will be played at nearby Saint Francis University, with first serve scheduled for 4 p.m. in Loretto.