Lions Sweep Carlow for First AMCC Win
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team recorded its first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference win of the season on Tuesday night, when the Lions swept conference foe Carlow University 3-0 in Adler Arena.
Penn State Altoona (3-8, 1-1 AMCC) eked out a 31-29 victory in the opening set, then took care of Carlow (0-14, 0-4 AMCC) by scores of 25-16 and 25-20 in the next two sets.
Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) put up a match-high 16 points for Penn State Altoona on 14 kills, two block assists, and one service ace. Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) added 11 points on eight kills, two aces, and a solo block, and Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had eight points on six kills and a pair of aces.
Shawn Thomas (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) led the match in assists with 11. Travis Johns (Elderton, PA/West Shamokin) contributed nine assists, and Axel Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA/Malibu) chipped in seven assists.
Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) had a team-best eight digs for the Lions.
Penn State Altoona held a 4-3 lead in the first set, before Carlow used a 6-0 run to jump in front, 9-4. The Lions countered with a 9-2 run that included three kills from McKenna to work back on top, 13-11. Carlow responded again, scoring nine of the next 12 points to establish a 20-16 advantage, and the Celtics later got to set point, 24-22. A kill from McKenna and a Carlow attack error kept Penn State Altoona alive and knotted the score at 24-24, and the teams traded points over the next several plays to find themselves deadlocked at 28-28. A Carlow kill got the visitors back to set point, 29-28, but a Celtics service error, a McKenna kill, and a Weathersbee ace propelled the Lions to a 31-29 win in the first set.
Penn State Altoona began the second set with a 5-0 lead, including getting two Weathersbee kills and a McKenna ace during that span. A kill and ace by Weathersbee kept the Lions' lead at five points, 9-4, later in the set, and six Carlow errors boosted the home team's advantage to 15-6. One point later, a Jason Velez (Forest Hill, MD/Bel Air) kill, another Celtics error, and a McKenna ace increased Penn State Altoona's lead to 11 points, 18-7. Holding a 21-16 advantage late in the set, the Lions rattled off four straight points on a Carlow service error, a Joshua Diefenderfer (Malvern, PA/Great Valley) ace, and two Celtics attack errors to prevail 25-16.
The Lions started with strong momentum again in the third set, getting out to a 7-1 lead, helped by two McKenna kills and a pair of blocks teamed up on by Velez and Fries. Kills by Andrew Kubiak (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) and Fries, along with several more Carlow miscues, helped Penn State Altoona get to an 18-10 advantage. Fries accounted for five of the Lions' final seven points of the set, including the match-clinching kill to end the third set at 25-20 and secure a sweep for Penn State Altoona.
Next up, the men's volleyball team returns to the road for a trio of non-conference matches in Virginia this weekend. Friday, February 20, the Lions will take on Shenandoah University at 7 p.m., before facing Roanoke College and Randolph College on Saturday, February 21 in a tri-match hosted by Randolph starting at 2 p.m.
