Lions Sweep Chatham for Senior Day Win
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team honored its seniors in a pre-match ceremony on Saturday afternoon in Adler Arena, before the Lions posted a 3-0 victory over non-conference opponent Chatham University.
Seniors Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle), Avery Farabaugh (Ebensburg, PA/Cambria Heights), and Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby) were recognized for their standout careers with the Lions volleyball team during the program's Senior Day ceremony. After that, Penn State Altoona (12-11) kept the good vibes going with a three-set win over Chatham (4-13), getting past the Cougars by scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 25-13.
The three seniors were the Lions' top performers in their victory. Farabaugh finished with a match-high 14 points on nine kills, three solo blocks, and two service aces while leading his team in digs with six. Kish totaled 12 points on eight kills, two solo blocks, and two service aces, and Ebersole scored 11 points on nine kills, two block assists, and a solo block.
Willem Del Priore (Seven Valleys, PA/Dallastown) added 8.5 points on seven kills, a solo block, and a block assist while adding four digs, and Owen Pratt (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen) chipped in 3.5 points on three kills and a block assist.
Mason Grover (Penfield, NY/Penfield) put up a match-best 29 assists while also contributing five digs, two kills, an ace, and a solo block.
Xavier Vang (Rogers, MN/Rogers) totaled four digs while tallying three assists.
Penn State Altoona fended off Chatham in the match's opening set to win it by three points. After the Cougars scored the first point, kills from Kish and Ebersole and an ace by Kish put the Lions up 3-1. Two Ebersole kills, one Del Priore kill, and a block from Pratt and Ebersole increased Penn State Altoona's lead to 7-3, and Farabaugh scored a kill before a Kish solo block boosted the home team's advantage to five points, 9-4. Kills by Pratt, Grover, and Kish kept Penn State Altoona's lead at five, 12-7, and three straight Lion points midway through the set made it 17-11. Back-to-back kills by Farabaugh and Kish set Penn State Altoona's lead at 19-13, and a block by Grover made it 21-14. Another Farabaugh kill got the Lions to set point, 24-20, and a Chatham service error ended the set at 25-22, in favor of Penn State Altoona.
The Lions capitalized on Chatham errors early in the second set to work their way out to a 10-4 advantage. A Pratt kill and Del Priore block helped keep Penn State Altoona's lead at six points, 12-6, before Del Priore and Ebersole each scored kills to make it 14-7. Two Farabaugh kills put the Lions' lead at eight, 17-9, and Farabaugh later recorded a block and an ace on consecutive points to make it 20-12. Kish hit a pair of kills to help Penn State Altoona make it 23-14, and Farabaugh eventually finished off Chatham by scoring a kill for the 25th point, wrapping the set up at 25-20 for the home team.
Penn State Altoona raced out to a 5-0 lead to start the third set, including getting kills from Ebersole and Del Priore and a combination block by those two players. Holding a three-point lead later, the Lions scored three in a row on a Pratt kill, Farabaugh ace, and Kish kill to get their lead to six, 12-6, and a Kish ace boosted Penn State Altoona's advantage to seven, 16-9. After a Chatham kill, the Lions embarked on an 8-0 run to get to set point, getting kills from Del Priore and Farabaugh and an ace from Grover along the way. Three Chatham points later, Ebersole's kill provided the winning point for Penn State Altoona, which took a 25-13 victory in the third set to clinch the match sweep.
Next up, Penn State Altoona men's volleyball heads to Cresson to face nearby Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference rival Mount Aloysius College on Wednesday, April 3, at 7 p.m.
