ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team competed in its first road match of the 2025 season on Friday evening at Penn State Behrend's Junker Center, where the Lions kicked off this weekend's AMCC/PAC Crossover with a 3-0 victory against Chatham University.

Penn State Altoona (1-1) sealed its first win of the 2025 season by defeating Chatham (0-3) in straight sets, coming out on top by scores of 25-13, 25-23, and 28-26.

The Lions' Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) totaled a match-high 12.5 points on 10 kills, three block assists, and one solo block, while Michael Hansen (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) scored 10.5 points on nine kills and three block assists.

Lucas Petrones (Oxford, PA/Avon Grove Charter) contributed seven points on four kills and a match-high three service aces. Landen Fisher (Altoona, PA/Altoona) added 4.5 points on three block assists and two kills, and Owen Pratt (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen) chipped in four points on three kills and a pair of block assists.

Mason Grover (Penfield, NY/Penfield) led all players in the match in both assists and digs, recording 23 assists and nine digs to go along with two aces and a block assist.

In the first set, Chatham opened up with a 4-2 lead, but Penn State Altoona scored five straight points after that to go up 7-4, including getting an ace from Fisher and a block and kill by Fries. Chatham hung around and stayed within three points of the Lions' lead, 11-8, before Penn State Altoona broke the set open by outscoring the Cougars 14-5 the rest of the way. Fisher and Fries teamed up on a block, and kills from Fries and Petrones helped the Lions make it 18-9. Another Fries kill and two Petrones aces helped get the Lions to set point, 24-12, and a Chatham service error ended the first set at 25-13, in favor of Penn State Altoona.

Chatham held the lead for much of the second set, until Penn State Altoona overtook it in the middle stages and held on for a victory. Down 14-13, the Lions embarked on a 6-0 run that included kills from Fries and Petrones, as well as a combo block by Fries and Hansen, to jump ahead, 19-14. Penn State Altoona maintained a narrow lead later in the set, getting to 24-21. Chatham scored the next two points to stay alive, but a Pratt kill ended the set at 25-23 and gave the Lions a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Penn State Altoona worked its way out to a 15-9 lead in the third set, only to see Chatham rally to tie the score at 15-15. The teams traded points over the next several plays until the Cougars pulled ahead, 22-21, for the first time since early in the set. Chatham got to set point, 24-23, but Penn State Altoona kept the set alive after a Fries kill, and a Cougar attack error put the Lions in front, 25-24. One point later, a Hansen kill made it 26-25, before Chatham knotted things up, 26-26. But Penn State Altoona scored the next two points to win the set, getting another kill from Hansen and a Petrones ace to prevail 28-26 and clinch the match victory.

Penn State Altoona men's volleyball completes its weekend in the AMCC/PAC Crossover tomorrow, Saturday, January 25, facing off against Geneva College at 12 p.m. and Thiel College at 2 p.m. in Erie.