WINCHESTER, Va. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team started its weekend road trip with a loss Friday night, when the Lions were swept, 3-0, by non-conference opponent Shenandoah University in the Wilkins Athletics & Events Center.

Shenandoah (4-6) got past the Lions (3-9) in straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-19, and 25-19.

Penn State Altoona's Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) tied for the match lead in points, scoring 13.5 on 12 kills, one service ace, and one block assist. McKenna also tied for the match-high digs total, finishing with 13 digs.

Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) put up 10 points on 10 kills, and Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had seven points on six kills and an ace.

Travis Johns (Elderton, PA/West Shamokin) was the Lions' leading setter, recording 14 assists. Axel Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA/Malibu) contributed 11 assists, and Shawn Thomas (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) chipped in four assists.

Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) notched four digs, while Jimenez and Joshua Harclerode (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) had three digs apiece.

Penn State Altoona worked its way out to a 9-5 advantage in the first set, helped by service aces from Ethan Wooldridge (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson) and Fries. But the Hornets surged into the lead, thanks to a 10-2 run that put the home team up 15-11. The Lions came back with four straight points to tie the set at 15-15, including getting a McKenna ace and Fries kill. Penn State Altoona and Shenandoah traded three-point runs after that, with the Lions overcoming an 18-15 deficit to knot the score on kills from McKenna and Weathersbee and another Wooldridge ace. Penn State Altoona got kills from Weathersbee and McKenna shortly thereafter, but the Hornets reeled off four straight points to win the set, 25-20.

In the second set, the Lions again held an early lead, only to see it slip away. An ace from Andrew Kubiak (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) was part of a 4-0 run that gave Penn State Altoona a 6-4 lead, but five consecutive points by Shenandoah gave the Hornets a 9-6 advantage. The Lions got kills from McKenna, Fries, and Weathersbee over the remainder of the set to stay within striking distance, but Shenandoah closed the set on a 6-1 run to win it 25-19 and grab a 2-0 lead in the match.

Penn State Altoona got kills from Kubiak and Weathersbee early in the third set to keep the score tied at 2-2. But Shenandoah began to build a lead and slowly pull away, jumping ahead by scores of 5-3, 7-4, and 11-6. The Hornets grew their lead to as many as seven points, 21-14, and despite late kills from Harclerode, Fries, McKenna, and Weathersbee, the Lions fell 25-19 as Shenandoah clinched the match sweep.

Penn State Altoona men's volleyball wraps up its weekend in Virginia with a non-conference tri-match hosted by Randolph College tomorrow, Saturday, February 21. The Lions will take on Roanoke College to begin the day at 2 p.m., then face off against host Randolph at 4 p.m.