Lions Fall 3-0 to No. 19 Bengals
ALTOONA, Pa. - Penn State Altoona men's volleyball was back at home Friday night when they lost 3-0 to 19th-ranked Buffalo State in an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference matchup at Adler Arena.
Buffalo State (19-2) defeated the Lions (4-13, 2-2 AMCC) in three sets by scores of 25-15, 25-18, and 25-17. Buffalo State is tied for the second-best record in all of NCAA Division III men's volleyball.
Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) led the Lions in points with 10. McKenna had seven kills and three service aces to go along with a team-high seven digs. Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had eight kills and one solo block.
Axel Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA/Malibu) tallied 11 assists for the Lions, and Shawn Thomas (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) recorded seven assists.
The Bengals gained a lead early in the game, taking an 8-3 lead after a service ace. The Lions fought back with kills from McKenna, Weathersbee, and Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) making the score 10-7. The Lions would get five points from service errors, but it would not be enough to overcome the deficit as the Bengals won the first set 25-15.
The second set started out tight, with both teams exchanging errors and kills before Thomas set up Weathersbee for the kill to give the Lions a two-point lead. Unfortunately, that two-point lead would not last as Buffalo State then had a kill of their own and an error in their favor. The Bengals began to take control of the set, scoring eight unanswered points to make the score 21-14. The Lions got points through a kill and service ace as well as errors, but Buffalo State maintained control to secure the 25-18 decision.
Penn State Altoona's strongest showing came in the third set. The Lions got points through two service aces by McKenna, kills by Weathersbee; Fries; Andrew Kubiak (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) and McKenna. The Lions were also helped by errors from Buffalo State. The Bengals responded with kills of their own and capitalized on errors by the Lions to make it 14-13. The Lions tried to hold onto their lead, but the Bengals proved to be too much for the Lions as they won 25-17.
Penn State Altoona men's volleyball remains at home for their next match tomorrow, March 7, against Hilbert. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.
