by Casey Burinskas

LORETTO, Pa. – On Wednesday afternoon, the Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team was on the road for a neutral-site match against non-conference opponent Saint Vincent College, who soared past the Lions, 3-0, in Saint Francis University's DeGol Arena.

St. Vincent (2-2) rattled off set scores of 25-17, 25-15, and 25-20 to hand Penn State Altoona (1-2) its second loss of the young season.

The Lions got a team-high 10 points from Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) on nine kills and one solo block, while Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) contributed 7.5 points on seven kills and a block assist. Michael Hansen (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) and Charles Tygielski (Irwin, PA/Norwin) chipped in three points apiece, with Hansen totaling two kills and two block assists and Tygielski having two kills and a service ace.

Tygielski also led Penn State Altoona in assists with seven, while Axel Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA/Malibu) added six assists.

Fries and Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) tallied four digs apiece to lead the Lions in that category.

St. Vincent set the scene early in the match, pulling away late in the first set to earn a 25-17 win over Penn State Altoona. The set started tightly, with both teams trading points and staying even through the early stages. Kills by Weathersbee and Fries helped Altoona establish an early rhythm, while Hansen added a kill and a block to keep the Lions steady. St. Vincent kept close, tying the score several times early. Midway through the set, the Bearcats took the lead and began to create space, helped by several Altoona errors. Holding a 19-17 advantage late in the set, St. Vincent firmly took control by scoring the next six points to win the set by eight and grab an early 1-0 match lead.

The Lions established an early 3-1 lead in the second set behind a pair of Bearcat service errors and a kill from Fries, as St. Vincent struggled to find consistency. Altoona used solid net play to answer St. Vincent points and maintain momentum early in the set, and the teams found themselves tied at 6-6. However, the Bearcats worked their way in front and began to widen the gap throughout the set. Along the way, the Lions got kills from Fries, Hansen, and Weathersbee, as well as a combined block from Hansen and Fries, while Jimenez set up multiple attacks to keep the Bearcats off balance. But St. Vincent ended the set on a 12-5 run, closing it at 25-15 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set opened with both teams trading points, as Altoona stayed balanced early with kills from Tygielski and Weathersbee. St. Vincent countered with steady production, keeping the score tight through the opening stretch. Midway through the set, the Lions began to gain traction with kills by Fries, Weathersbee, and Andrew Kubiak (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora), paired with several St. Vincent errors, to cut a St. Vincent lead to 19-16. But the Bearcats continued to score at the net, answering with points to increase their advantage back to six, 23-17. Altoona got a late block by Weathersbee and a kill from Fries, but St. Vincent ended the third set at 25-20 to finish the match in three.

Next, the men's volleyball team will take on non-conference opponent Geneva College in Erie, Pa. at Penn State Behrend on Friday, January 30, at 7 p.m. That match is part of Behrend's two-day AMCC-PAC Crossover event.