by Casey Burinskas

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team was away on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions dropped a three-set match to Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Penn State Behrend at the Junker Center.

Behrend (16-6, 6-2 AMCC) won by set scores of 25-23, 27-25, and 25-18 to sweep Penn State Altoona (6-14, 4-3 AMCC).

Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) led the Lions in points with 13.5, accumulating 12 kills, one service ace, and one block assist to go along with 10 digs. Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) tallied 12 points on 10 kills, one service ace, and one solo block while tying for the match lead in digs with 12. Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) contributed eight kills.

Axel Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA/Malibu) and Travis Johns (Elderton, PA/West Shamokin) had 11 assists each for the Lions, with Johns also contributing a solo block. Shawn Thomas (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) had nine assists.

Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) tied the match-high digs total with 12.

Altoona came out strong in the opening set, jumping to a strong 7-1 lead behind aggressive play from Weathersbee and Fries, along with solid blocking from Ethan Wooldridge (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson). Altoona controlled the tempo early, with McKenna and Jimenez helping keep up the offense and keep Behrend out of rhythm. The lead grew to 14-9 as Altoona consistently won points at the net and forced multiple Behrend errors. However, Penn State Behrend responded with a mid-set jump, taking points on kills and Altoona errors. The Lions saw their lead slowly disappear, as Behrend tied things at 22-22, shifting the momentum late. After Altoona evened things at 23-23 on a clutch Weathersbee kill, Behrend finished the set with back-to-back points to steal a 25-23 win, despite Altoona leading for the majority of the set.

The second set was another tight battle, with both teams trading points early and neither side able to build much separation. Altoona stayed within striking distance with kills from Fries and Weathersbee, while McKenna continued to contribute in key moments. Behrend created some breathing room midway through the set, pushing its lead to 18-11 and forcing Altoona to respond. The Lions answered with one of their strongest runs of the match, using contributions from Weatherbee, McKenna, Johns, and Thomas, and building behind Behrend's attack errors to tie the score at 22-22. The intensity ramped up late as both teams exchanged points, and Altoona set the match at 25-25 with a Fries kill. Despite the comeback effort and late composure, Behrend once again delivered the win using an error followed by a service ace to close out the extended set 27-25 and take a 2-0 match lead.

In the third set, Behrend carried its momentum from the first two sets and jumped out to an early lead, putting Altoona on its heels right away with a quick 5-1 advantage. Altoona was forced to play from behind, and although the Lions continued to compete, they struggled to fully regain control of the set. McKenna and Fries continued to produce points, while Joshua Harclerode (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) added a spark offensively during the set. Altoona managed to trim the gap to 16-12, showing signs of another comeback, but Behrend responded with a strong run fueled by the offense. The Lions were unable to string together a rally late, as Behrend maintained its advantage and limited Altoona's scoring opportunities. From there, Behrend closed out the set 25-18 to complete the straight-sets victory.

The men's volleyball team will be back on the road against AMCC opponent Houghton University in New York next weekend on Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m.