CANEADEA, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team was back on the road Saturday afternoon, when the Lions suffered a 3-0 loss to Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Houghton University at the Nielsen Center.

Houghton (7-18, 6-4 AMCC) earned the three-set victory over Penn State Altoona (6-15, 4-4 AMCC) by scores of 25-18, 25-21, and 25-17.

Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had a team-high 10.5 points for the Lions, recording eight kills, one service ace, one solo block, and one block assist. Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) added eight points on seven kills and an ace, and Lukas Weathersbee (Altoona, PA/Altoona) chipped in 5.5 points on five kills and a block assist.

Axel Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA/Malibu) had a team-best 10 assists for Penn State Altoona to go along with five digs and an ace. Shawn Thomas (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) tallied seven assists, and Travis Johns (Elderton, PA/West Shamokin) also had seven assists while adding three kills and a solo block.

Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) had a team-high seven digs for the Lions.

Penn State Altoona worked its way out to a 6-5 lead in the first set, including getting kills from Ethan Wooldridge (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson) and Weathersbee. But Houghton powered its way in front, thanks to a 6-1 run that gave the Highlanders an 11-7 advantage. After that, the Lions got points on McKenna and Fries kills, as well as a combo block from Wooldridge and Fries, but Houghton continued to expand its lead, going up 20-12. Fries, Johns, and McKenna recorded kills after that, but the home team ultimately took the first set by a score of 25-18.

Houghton started the second set on a roll, jumping out to a 10-3 lead over the Lions. Penn State Altoona picked up early points courtesy of kills from Wooldridge, Fries, Andrew Kubiak (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora), and Johns, but the Lions still found themselves trailing by nine, 16-7, midway through the set. Kills from Wooldridge, McKenna, and Joshua Harclerode (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth), as well as an ace by Jimenez, helped Penn State Altoona get back to within five points, 20-15. Houghton advanced to set point, 24-18, and despite a kill and block from Fries and a kill by McKenna, the Highlanders prevailed 25-21 in the second set.

Two Houghton errors and a McKenna service ace helped keep Penn State Altoona even, 3-3, with the Highlanders early in the third set, but the home team scored the next three points after that and never relinquished its lead the rest of the way. Back-to-back kills from McKenna and Weathersbee brought Penn State Altoona back to within one, 10-9, and a Weathersbee kill and a duo block from Weathersbee and Kubiak later made it a one-point difference, 15-14. Shortly thereafter, the Lions stayed within striking distance on kills by Fries and Weathersbee, as Houghton clung to an 18-16 advantage. But the Highlanders closed the set on a 7-1 run, winning it 25-17 to pull off the match sweep.

Next up, Penn State Altoona men's volleyball travels to nearby Cresson, Pa., to face off against AMCC rival Mount Aloysius College on Tuesday, March 31, at 7 p.m.