GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team played its first match of the season against Messiah University on Tuesday evening, when the Lions started their schedule off with a 3-0 loss to the Falcons.

The Lions (0-1) lost by just two points in the match's opening set, falling 25-23. Messiah (2-2) proceeded to take the next two sets by scores of 25-10 and 25-19. The Falcons received 20 votes in today's release of the AVCA Coaches Division III Top 15 poll.

Philip Silva (Brazil/Richard Montgomery) led the Lions with six kills and a total of seven points. Ryan Martin (Pittsburgh, PA/North Hills) had five kills and two block assists for six points, and Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) tallied four kills for four points.

Connor Baker (Red Lion, PA/Red Lion) led Penn State Altoona in assists with 17, and he also tied for the team-high in digs with three and recorded his squad's lone solo block.

Jared Bodisch (Red Lion, PA/Red Lion), Micah Brinker (Lock Haven, PA/PA Cyber), and Eric Cassaday (Bel Air, MD/Bel Air) each finished with three digs. Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby) had two block assists.

Penn State Altoona played neck-and-neck with Messiah during the first set, when the Lions had their best hitting performance of the match by swinging at a .278 clip during the set. Late kills by Silva and Martin helped Penn State Altoona to a 23-22 lead, but Messiah scored three points in a row on a service error, attack error, and kill to come back and establish a 1-0 lead in the match.

Messiah compiled an impressive .588 attack percentage during the second set, committing just one hitting error and defeating Penn State Altoona by a 15-point margin.

The Lions jumped out to a strong lead early in the third set, going up 7-2 after kills by Silva and Kish, along with five Falcon attack errors. But Messiah used an 8-2 run to storm ahead 10-9. After a Messiah service error tied the score 10-10, the Falcons scored the next point on an error and never trailed for the rest of the set.

Penn State Altoona men's volleyball returns to action this Thursday, January 27, traveling to play against Elizabethtown College at 7:00 p.m.