by Casey Burinskas

HIRAM, Ohio – On Wednesday evening, the Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team faced off against Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Hiram College, and the Lions fell 3-0 to the Terriers in the Price Gymnasium.

Hiram (15-11, 5-1 AMCC) handed Penn State Altoona (11-11, 3-4 AMCC) its fourth conference loss of the season, defeating the Lions in three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-22, and 25-13.

Penn State Altoona got a match-high 13 digs from Xavier Vang (Rogers, MN/Rogers).

Avery Farabaugh (Ebensburg, PA/Cambria Heights) led the Lions in points with 8.5 on seven kills, one solo block, and one block assist while adding five digs. Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) recorded 6.5 points on four kills, one solo block, and one block assist, and Owen Pratt (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen) had five points on five kills.

Mason Grover (Penfield, NY/Penfield) totaled a team-high 19 assists.

Down 2-0 in the first set, the Lions' first point was made on a kill by Willem Del Priore (Seven Valleys, PA/Dallastown), and an attack error allowed Altoona to tie Hiram before a service ace from Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby) pushed the Lions ahead, 3-2. A kill from Farabaugh tied the score at 4-4, and later, kills from Kish and Pratt placed the Lions back at a tie, 10-10. After the Terriers took a 14-11 lead, three attack errors from Hiram gave the Lions another tie, 14-14. Kills from Del Priore and Ebersole helped land Altoona a 19-17 lead in a closely contested set. But while a few service errors from Hiram handed the Lions some points late in the set, and despite a final kill for Pratt, the Terriers pulled out a win in the first set by a score of 25-22.

A kill from Ebersole started Altoona's scoring in the second set, and two attack errors placed the Lions ahead by a score of 3-1. Hiram grabbed the lead, but kills from Pratt and Kish helped to keep Altoona within three, 11-8, while Ebersole and Farabaugh also scored kills to try and help the Lions catch up to Hiram. Another kill from Farabaugh, followed by a service ace from Ebersole and a kill from Pratt, gave the Lions a run of three points to cut the Hiram lead to 17-15. An Ebersole block and a service error in favor of Altoona brought the Lions' total to 20 points, trailing by three near the end of the set. But despite a good fight from Altoona, Hiram was able to pull away again, winning the second set 25-22.

Altoona started the third set down by five points, 5-0. The first point the Lions placed was by Del Priore with a kill, but the Terriers scored five more points to run up a 10-1 lead. A service error from Hiram and a kill from Grover landed Altoona two more points, putting the Hiram lead at nine, 12-3. Kills from Ebersole and Farabaugh, along with two Hiram attack errors, put the score at 16-7. A few more bad sets and errors by the Terriers gave the Lions some points, but ultimately, Hiram dominated the set and put the Lions down 25-13 by the set's end. With the third set secured by Hiram, the Terriers took the win against Altoona.

Next up, Penn State Altoona men's volleyball will host non-conference opponent Chatham University in the Adler Arena this Saturday, March 30, at 1 p.m. Prior to the match, the Lions will hold their Senior Day and recognize senior players Ebersole, Farabaugh, and Kish.