by Christina Roukas

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona's men volleyball team lost to non-conference opponent Elizabethtown College in a 3-1 match (25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 25-21) on Saturday in the Eagles Invite at Juniata College's Memorial Gymnasium.

In the first set, Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) scored a kill to break an early tie and give the Lions (0-12) a 4-3 lead. Ebersole again recorded a kill to make it 11-7, and his ace put the Lions up by five, followed by a block from Xavier Vang (Rogers, MN/Rogers) to make it 16-10. Elizabethtown (7-5) came back to tie the match 17-17, then took a 20-18 lead. Avery Farabaugh's (Ebensburg, PA/Cambria Heights) back row kill put the Lions behind by one, 20-19, Elizabethtown won the first set 25-21.

In the second set, Elizabethtown started on a 4-0 run. Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby) scored a kill to keep the Lions within four, 9-5, as did a Willem Del Priore (Seven Valleys, PA/Dallastown) hit off the block that made it 15-11. Later, Penn State Altoona used a 5-0 run that included back-to-back blocks by Ebersole and a Kish ace to narrow its deficit to two, 23-21. But the Blue Jays won the set 25-22.

In the third set, Del Priore scored a back row kill to put Penn State Altoona up 7-4. Elizabethtown came back to tie the set, 13-13, but Altoona reclaimed the lead on the next point. Later, with Elizabethtown at set point, leading 24-22, an attack error and two aces by Del Priore propelled the Lions in front, 25-24. Another Elizabethtown attack error provided the winning point for Penn State Altoona, which won the third set 26-24.

In the fourth set, Kish's kill broke a 4-4 tie for the Lions, but the set score remained close throughout. An ace from Farabaugh put Penn State Altoona up 17-16, but Elizabethtown worked its way in front by three points, 21-18. Ebersole scored a kill to lower the deficit to two, 21-19, and Del Priore's kill made it 22-20. But Elizabethtown eventually won the set 25-21, taking the match in four sets.

Farabaugh led the Lions with 13 points and 11 kills with five digs, one service ace, and one solo block. Kish contributed 12 points, nine kills, three aces, and six digs. Ebersole had 10.5 points with seven kills and a team-high three blocks, two solos and one assist, while adding one ace. Del Priore had 10 points on seven kills and three aces while leading the team in digs with 15.

Vang had a match-high 28 assists to go along with eight digs, one ace, one solo block, and one block assist.

Jeremy Winter (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) totaled 12 digs for the Lions. 

Penn State Altoona's men's volleyball team heads back to the Adler Arena on Wednesday, February 22 to play against non-conference opponent Messiah University. The match is set to start at 7:00 p.m.