Men’s Volleyball Cruises Past Wilkes 3-0
ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona men's volleyball notched its third straight win on Tuesday evening, posting a 3-0 sweep of non-conference opponent Wilkes University in the Adler Arena.
The Lions (4-4) improved to 3-0 at home this season, handling Wilkes (6-5) by set scores of 25-15, 25-16, and 25-21. The victory was a team effort by Penn State Altoona, which hit .263 as a unit and got points from 11 different players.
Ben Beaver (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) put up team-highs with 15 assists, six digs, two service aces, and two solo blocks, and he also tallied five kills. Tyler Sheaffer (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) tied for the team lead in kills with eight, and he contributed 12 assists and five digs.
Nathaniel Reinert (State College, PA/State College) recorded eight kills to go along with three digs and one solo block. Frank Perehinec (Altoona, PA/Altoona) finished with seven kills, four digs, and one block assist, and Daniel Jordan (Pittsburgh, PA/Thomas Jefferson) added five kills and one solo block. Abel Gebre (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) had one solo block, and Mirko Pandini (Milan, Italy/Greater Latrobe) chipped in one block assist.
Micah Brinker (Lock Haven, PA/PA Cyber) earned five digs, and Matthew Vandeveire (Washington, D.C./West Springfield) added three digs. Matthew Faust (New Oxford, PA/New Oxford) tied for the team-high in aces with two.
In the first set, Penn State Altoona held a slim 7-6 lead before outscoring Wilkes 18-9 the rest of the way. Leading 12-9, the Lions reeled off 7-1 run that included kills from Reinert and Jordan, a solo block by Jordan, and back-to-back aces from Beaver. A pair of kills from Sheaffer helped the home team get to a 22-13 lead, and kills on consecutive points by Beaver and Reinert finished off Wilkes in the opening set.
The second set followed a similar script to the first, with Penn State Altoona pulling away midway through the set. Up 9-8, the Lions embarked on a 6-1 run that was highlighted by four kills from Reinert. Perehinec and Pandini combined for a block to make it 18-13, and Beaver's kill kept the difference at five points, 19-14. Perehinec, Sheaffer, and Pandini each added one kill over the next several points, Gebre notched a solo block, and Alistair Lawson (Kennett Square, PA/Unionville) provided the set's 25th point with a kill.
Penn State Altoona trailed midway through the third set before pulling together to come back and defeat Wilkes. Down 14-12, the Lions got three straight points on a Wilkes service error, a Jordan kill, and a service ace from Eric Cassaday (Bel Air, MD/Bel Air) to get into the lead. Two kills by Perehinec and another from Jordan helped Penn State Altoona increase its lead to 20-17, and Reinert's kill opened up a four-point advantage, 22-18. Ahead 22-20, the Lions closed things out by scoring three of the next four points, thanks to Wilkes errors.
Next up, the Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team will face stiff competition from three non-conference opponents in the span of two days this weekend at Wells College.
The Lions start their weekend on Friday, February 14 at 6:00 p.m. against Wells, which is tied for No. 6 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 15 poll. At 8:00 p.m., Penn State Altoona faces SUNY Potsdam, and the Lions conclude their weekend on Saturday, February 15 at 1:00 p.m. against Division II opponent Daemen College.
