by Casey Burinskas

ERIE, Pa. – Despite winning the opening set of Friday evening's match, the Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team lost 3-1 to non-conference opponent Geneva College in night one of the AMCC-PAC Crossover, hosted by Penn State Behrend at its Junker Center.

Penn State Altoona (1-3) started strong, earning a commanding 25-15 victory in the first set. But Geneva (4-4) came back and won the next three sets by scores of 25-16, 25-21, and 25-16 to take the match in four.

Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had a match-high 11.5 points for Penn State Altoona, getting 10 kills, one solo block, and one block assist. Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) recorded 11 points on 11 kills to go along with seven digs. Michael Hansen (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) added 6.5 points on five kills, one service ace, and one block assist.

Charles Tygielski (Irwin, PA/Norwin) and Axel Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA/Malibu) split the setting duties, with Tygielski tallying 14 assists and Jimenez finishing with 12.

Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) totaled a match-leading nine digs.

Penn State Altoona controlled the opening set from the start, jumping out early and never allowing Geneva to gain momentum. The Lions struck first with a McKenna kill and quickly built a 4-0 advantage after forcing two Geneva errors. Altoona continued to apply strong offense with Hansen, whose kill prompted a Gevena timeout with the Lions' lead at 11-5. By the end of the set, the Lions began to pull away. Kills from McKenna, Hansen, and Fries, paired with play at the net, helped Altoona stretch its lead to 18-8. The Golden Tornadoes struggled to slow the Lions' attack, as Altoona forced errors, including a key block by Hansen and Fries that made it 24-14. Out of a late timeout, Altoona remained composed and closed out the set soon after with a Fries kill off a Jimenez assist, sealing the opener at 25-15 and giving the Lions a 1-0 lead in the first set.

The second set swung in Geneva's favor. After the teams traded points at the start, Geneva rattled off a run behind a several kills and a service ace to move in front 6-3. Altoona answered briefly with kills from Hansen and Fries, but Geneva continued to have good play, extending its lead to 12-7 following consecutive kills and forcing the Lions into a timeout. Out of the break, Altoona struggled to regain momentum as Geneva stayed aggressive. Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) put up a kill for Altoona, but the Golden Tornadoes boosted their lead to 18-10. The Lions continued to battle, but Geneva's attack and blocking presence at the net limited any rally. The Golden Tornadoes ultimately closed the set with a score of 25-16 to tie the match.

The third set followed a similar pattern, with Geneva seizing momentum and putting Penn State Altoona on the defensive. The Tornadoes opened the set with aggressive swings, building a 6-2 lead and forcing the Lions into an early timeout. Altoona briefly steadied itself with a kill from Tygielski, but Geneva continued to control the court, stretching its lead to 12-5. Altoona showed it wasn't backing down in the middle of the set, piecing together points through McKenna kills and a solo block by Fries to cut the difference to 20-17. However, each time Altoona threatened, Geneva responded with points to halt the rally. Late in the set, Altoona made one final push, getting within 23-21 after a few errors by the Golden Tornadoes. The comeback fell just short, as Geneva closed out the set with two kills to secure a 25-21 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

The fourth set quickly tilted in Geneva's favor, as the Tornadoes came out with pace and efficiency to put Altoona on its heels. After Altoona briefly had early points with kills from Hansen to keep things even at 4-4, Geneva began to establish separation. The Tornadoes used a short run to move in front 9-6, highlighted by kills, before continuing to apply pressure from the service line. Altoona stayed competitive with multiple plays from McKenna and Fries, including kills that trimmed the Lions' deficit to 11-8, but Geneva continued to respond with timely offense, stretching its lead to 14-8 and prompting an Altoona timeout. Out of the break, Geneva maintained control, stacking points on Altoona errors. Despite kills from Fries and McKenna that briefly halted the Tornadoes, Geneva pushed the lead to 21-11. Altoona showed fight late, with McKenna recording another kill and Fries adding one more point, but the gap proved too large to overcome. Geneva closed the fourth set by scoring the final point through a kill to secure a 25-16 win and seal the match win.

Next, Penn State Altoona will be back in action tomorrow, Saturday, January 31, in Erie for the second and final day of the AMCC-PAC Crossover. The Lions will go up against Grove City College at 12 p.m. to begin the day before wrapping up against Hiram College at 2 p.m.