Men’s Volleyball Snaps Skid, Sweeps Elizabethtown
ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona men's volleyball ended its recent four-match skid on Tuesday evening in the Adler Auxiliary Gym, as the Lions posted a 3-0 victory over non-conference opponent Elizabethtown College.
Penn State Altoona (6-9) pulled out a 30-28 win during a wild opening set, then proceeded to take the next two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-19 to dispatch Elizabethtown (10-8).
Tyler Sheaffer (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) totaled a team-high 31 assists while chipping in four digs, one block assist, and one kill. Ben Beaver (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) led the Lions in kills with 12, and he also finished with six digs and one service ace. Matthew Vandeveire (Washington, D.C./West Springfield) recorded a match-high 12 digs.
Frank Perehinec (Altoona, PA/Altoona) posted 10 kills, eight digs, and one solo block, and Mirko Pandini (Milan, Italy/Greater Latrobe) added seven kills and two block assists. Nikolas Ferraro (Toms River, NJ/Donovan Catholic) had five kills and two solo blocks, and Daniel Jordan (Pittsburgh, PA/Thomas Jefferson) provided four kills, one solo block, and one block assist.
Penn State Altoona took the early lead in the match by coming out on top of a tightly-contested first set. After the score was tied 24-24, Elizabethtown got to set point three different times, but Penn State Altoona stayed alive, thanks to kills from Sheaffer and Beaver. The Blue Jays also fended off a loss when trailing 28-27, getting a kill to tie the score at 28. But an Elizabethtown service error made it 29-28, and the Lions finished things off with a kill by Pandini.
In the second, the Lions again earned a tough win in a close set. With the score tied 19-19, Penn State Altoona reeled off three straight points on an Elizabethtown attack error and kills by Jordan and Beaver. The Blue Jays fought back to tie the score 22-22, but a kill and an ace from Beaver highlighted three straight points by Penn State Altoona to end the set.
The Lions pulled away late in the third set to clinch the sweep. Tied 15-15, Penn State Altoona outscored Elizabethtown 10-4 through the remainder of the set. Back-to-back kills by Pandini broke the tie, and several points later, kills from Beaver and Jordan helped Penn State Altoona to a 21-18 lead. Perehinec provided two of the Lions' final three points in the set by notching kills.
Penn State Altoona men's volleyball returns to action on Saturday, February 29, when the Lions head to Medaille College for a pair of Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference matches. That day, Penn State Altoona will face D'Youville College at 12:00 p.m. before taking on Medaille at 4:00 p.m.
