by Casey Burinskas

PITTSBURGH – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team posted its most commanding win of the season on Wednesday night, when the Lions took down Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Carlow University in three sets at St. Joe's Gym.

Penn State Altoona (8-15, 6-4 AMCC) surrendered just 25 points to Carlow (0-25, 0-12 AMCC) across three sets, winning by scores of 25-11, 25-9, and 25-5, while posting season highs in hitting percentage (.444) and service aces (18). The Lions' total of 18 aces is the second-most in a match in program history – on the heels of serving up 17 aces in Tuesday night's win at Mount Aloysius – while its .444 attack percentage is the sixth-best mark in the team records.

Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) put up a match-high 13.5 points for Penn State Altoona, getting eight kills, five aces, and a block assist. Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) recorded 12 points on six kills and six aces, and Joshua Harclerode (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) scored eight points on five kills and three aces.

Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) and Ethan Wooldridge (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson) chipped in five points apiece, with Weathersbee scoring five kills and Wooldridge tallying three aces, two block assists, and a kill. Andrew Kubiak (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) finished with four kills.

Travis Johns (Elderton, PA/West Shamokin) put up a match-leading 13 assists to go along with two kills and a block assist, while Shawn Thomas (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) added nine assists and an ace.

Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) tied for the match-high in digs with four, while Fries and Harclerode each recorded three digs.

After falling behind 2-0 to start the match, the Lions quickly responded with an 11-0 run, getting on the board with a Fries kill before tying it at 2-2 on another Fries finish. From there, Altoona began to take control, soaring on Carlow errors along with a Fries and McKenna-led surge. Altoona rattled off point after point, extending the lead from 5-2 to 11-2 during its overwhelming run. McKenna delivered four service aces in that stretch, while the Lions added points off a Harclerode kill, a block from Wooldridge and Fries, and multiple Carlow attack errors. Even after a brief few points from the Celtics, Altoona stayed aggressive, pushing the lead to 13-6 with another Carlow service error before adding more offense through Harclerode and Kubiak to make it 15-7. Altoona continued to pile on late in the set, turning a 16-8 lead into a commanding 23-9 advantage. Back-to-back kills from McKenna, a Johns kill, and a Thomas service ace highlighted the run, along with continued Carlow errors. The Lions closed strong despite a couple of late Carlow points, as McKenna added another kill to reach set point at 24-11 before Altoona sealed the 25-11 win on yet another Carlow error.

The Lions jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second set behind a Carlow attack error and a kill from Wooldridge, but Carlow responded to briefly take a 7-4 lead, taking the point on a service ace, three kills, and a few Altoona errors. Trailing 7-4, Altoona quickly flipped the momentum and took full control of the set. The Lions tied it at 7-7 with two Celtics errors and a Weathersbee kill, part of a massive 16-0 run led by Fries at the service line that turned a tight set into a commanding 20-7 lead. During that stretch, Weathersbee dominated offensively with multiple kills, Johns contributed, and Fries added multiple service aces while consistently putting pressure on Carlow. Altoona never let up down the stretch, continuing to pile on points and maintain control. Another Harclerode finish pushed the score to 24-9. Defensively, the Lions sealed the set with a strong block from Johns and Wooldridge, forcing a final Carlow error with a 25-9 lead.

After dropping the opening point of the third set, the Lions quickly responded, tying it at 1-1 before McKenna sparked an early run with back-to-back service aces to give Altoona a 3-1 lead. From there, the momentum never shifted, as kills from Fries and McKenna helped extend the lead to 9-2. Altoona stretched the lead from 9-2 to 12-2 behind a Wooldridge ace, a Kubiak kill, and a Carlow setting error. The Lions continued to dominate after that, with Fries adding a service ace and contributing to several key kills alongside Kubiak and Harclerode, pushing the lead to 17-3. The Lions closed the set dominantly, finishing on an 8-1 run to seal the 25-5 win.

Next, the Lions will again travel to take on AMCC foe Buffalo State University on Friday, April 3, at 6 p.m.