by Casey Burinskas

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team picked its schedule back up Friday night in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Match of the Week, in which the Lions were dealt a 3-1 loss by Buffalo State University in the Sports Arena.

Buffalo State (12-13, 2-0 AMCC) took the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-12, but Penn State Altoona (12-11, 2-1 AMCC) stayed alive with a 26-24 victory in the third. But the Bengals answered with a 25-17 win in the fourth set to hand the Lions a four-set loss.

Caleb Fries (Altoona, PA/Altoona) led the Lions in points 10.5 on 10 kills and a block assist, and Owen Pratt (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen) had 8.5 points on seven kills, a service ace, and a block assist. Jack McKenna (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) added 7.5 points on seven kills and a block assist, and Landen Fisher (Altoona, PA/Altoona) chipped in seven points on three kills, two solo blocks, two block assists, and an ace.

Zayden Tamashiro (McLean, VA/McLean) and Mason Grover (Penfield, NY/Penfield) shared the setting duties, with Tamashiro putting up 17 assists and Grover having 11 assists.

Adam Chan (Framingham, MA/Framingham) tied the match high in digs with 15.

Both teams were back and forth in the first set, with the Lions and Bengals exchanging points and finding the set tied early at 6-6. Three straight points for Altoona coming from Buffalo State errors allowed the Lions to keep the score tied, 11-11. With neither team able to take up a big lead, kills from Michael Hansen (Palatine, IL/William Fremd) and Pratt late in the set kept the Lions within four, 21-18, as Altoona tried to find a comeback. But Buffalo State scored four of the next six points to take the first set by a final score of 25-20.

In the second set, the teams traded off points in the first stages, with points coming from Fries and Pratt to have a score of 5-5. Buffalo State ramped their game back up to pull ahead by over 10 points, and despite late efforts from Fries, Pratt, and Fisher, Altoona ultimately fell short to Buffalo State by a score of 25-12.

In the third set, Altoona rallied for a comeback. Tied 3-3 early, a block from Jacob Sandowski (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg) and McKenna put the Lions up by one. Down 14-10 later, back-to-back kills from Fries and McKenna brought the Lions back to within two points. Another Fries kill made it 19-16, and a 5-0 run that ended with a Tamashiro ace closed the gap to one point, 22-21. Tied 24-24, a block from Fries and Fisher got the Lions to set point, and a Fries kill ended it as the Lions were able to take the third set with a score of 26-24.

The fourth set was another tight fight, with neither team being able to pull far ahead. Down 14-11, Penn State Altoona gained kills from McKenna and Pratt as the Lions narrowed the Buffalo State lead to 18-16. The Bengals scored the next three points, and the teams exchanged service errors to set the score at 22-17. Buffalo State was able to close out the match, putting up the next three points to end the set at 25-17 and defeat the Lions in four.

Next, the men's volleyball team ends its western New York road trip tomorrow, Saturday, March 29, with an 11 a.m. match at AMCC opponent Hilbert College.