LATROBE, Pa. – Penn State Altoona men's volleyball got its month of February off to a winning start on Thursday evening, when the Lions defeated non-conference opponent Saint Vincent College 3-0 in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.

Penn State Altoona (3-4) handled the Bearcats (0-5), who are in their first year of sponsoring a varsity men's volleyball program, by scores of 25-17, 25-16, and 25-21.

Frank Perehinec (Altoona, PA/Altoona), Nathaniel Reinert (State College, PA/State College), and Tyler Sheaffer (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) each tied for the team-high in kills with seven apiece.

Perehinec also totaled a match-high three solo blocks to go along with four digs. Reinert tied for the team lead in digs with six, and Sheaffer tied for the team-high in assists with 10 to go along with five digs, two service aces, and one solo block.

Ben Beaver (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) posted a team-high three service aces, tied for the team lead in assists with 10, and added three digs and one solo block. Daniel Jordan (Pittsburgh, PA/Thomas Jefferson) also had three kills and one solo block, and Mirko Pandini (Milan, Italy/Greater Latrobe) contributed three kills, three digs, and one ace.

Matthew Vandeveire (Washington, D.C./West Springfield) tied for the Lions' lead in digs with six. Matthew Faust (New Oxford, PA/New Oxford) chipped in two digs.

The Lions scored four of the first five points in the match's opening set, getting a kill from Beaver and three errors by St. Vincent. Several points later, back-to-back blocks from Perehinec and Sheaffer made it 9-5, and two kills from Reinert helped Penn State Altoona stay ahead by three points, 11-8. The Bearcats closed the gap to one, 13-12, but the Lions widened it with three straight points on a block and a kill from Perehinec, along with a St. Vincent attack error. Kills on consecutive points from Pandini and Perehinec prompted a timeout by the home team, and Beaver followed that with an ace. Penn State Altoona got two more kills from Reinert, and back-to-back kills from Jordan finished off the set.

Trailing 4-3 in the second set, Penn State Altoona ripped off a 6-0 run to jump ahead 9-4, including kills from Jordan, Perehinec, and Sheaffer, as well as an ace by Beaver. Kills by Sheaffer, Reinert, and Pandini, along with a Perehinec block, helped Penn State Altoona increase its lead to 19-11. Leading 23-16, the Lions scored the set's last two points on St. Vincent attack errors.

St. Vincent scored the first two points of the third set, but Penn State Altoona used a 5-0 run to establish a 5-2 advantage. During that run, the Lions got a pair of aces from Sheaffer and a kill by Perehinec. The Bearcats kept things tight, however, and found themselves up 12-11 midway through the set, then tied the score 13-13. But kills from Sheaffer, Reinert, and Pandini, as well as a St. Vincent attack error, helped the Lions get on top, 17-14. A kill from Beaver and ace by Pandini made it 19-15, and kills from Sheaffer and Perehinec increased the Lions' advantage to 23-17. Sheaffer's kill got Penn State Altoona to 24 points, and he recorded another kill one point later to clinch the set and the match for his team.

Penn State Altoona men's volleyball returns home for its next match, which is schedule for Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00 p.m. in the Adler Arena. That night, the Lions will host non-conference opponent Wilkes University.