ARLINGTON, Va. – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team faced a nationally-ranked opponent for the fifth time this season, as the Lions took on non-conference foe No. 12 Marymount University on Saturday afternoon in the Converse Family Fieldhouse.

Penn State Altoona (3-16) suffered a three-set loss in the match, as Marymount (16-4) took care of the Lions by scores of 25-12, 25-14, and 25-13.

Avery Farabaugh (Ebensburg, PA/Cambria Heights) and Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby) tied for the Lions' team lead in points with five apiece, as each player finished with five kills. Willem Del Priore (Seven Valleys, PA/Dallastown) added three kills.

Xavier Vang (Rogers, MN/Rogers) totaled 14 assists while dealing one service ace.

Jeremy Winter (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) totaled three digs, and Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) had a match-high two solo blocks to go along with two kills.

Marymount worked its way out to a strong lead early in the first set, scoring the first six points in a row. Ebersole's solo block and Farabaugh's kill helped Penn State Altoona trim its deficit to five, 8-3, but the Saints went on a 7-2 run after that to expand their lead to 10 points, 15-5. A kill from Del Priore got the Lions to within eight, 16-8, and another solo stuff by Ebersole made it a seven-point set, 18-11. But Marymount outscored the Lions 7-1 the rest of the way to win the opening set by 13 points, 25-12.

Penn State Altoona kept things close early in the second set, until Marymount began to pull away midway through. Three early errors by the Saints helped the Lions keep pace in the early going, as Marymount led 4-3 in the opening stages of the set. After three straight points by the home team, Kish's kill cut Penn State Altoona's deficit to three, 7-4, and a Marymount service error kept the difference at three, 8-5. But the Saints embarked on a 5-0 run to increase their lead to eight, then boosted their advantage to 11 points, 19-8. A quick three points from the Lions lowered the Saints' lead back to single digits, 19-11, but Marymount went on to win the second set by 11 points, 25-14.

Much like the second set, the third set saw the Lions keep the score close, before Marymount went on a run to establish a commanding lead. Del Priore's kill accounted for Penn State Altoona's first point of the set, and a pair of Marymount service errors helped the Lions stay within one point, 4-3, of the home team's early lead. Penn State Altoona stayed within three, 9-6, thanks to three more service errors by the Saints, but Marymount proceeded to go on an 8-0 run to grow its advantage to 11, 17-6. Back-to-back kills from Ebersole and Del Priore cut the Lions' deficit to nine, 17-8, but Marymount got its lead back to 11 points, 20-9. Penn State Altoona followed that by scoring three of the next four points, getting kills from Farabaugh and Alex Ferry (Warren, PA/Warren) and a service ace from Vang. But Marymount responded with a 4-1 run to end the set at 25-13, clinching the sweep of the Lions.

Penn State Altoona men's volleyball returns to Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference action for its next match, as the Lions will travel to Ohio on Wednesday, March 22 to face Hiram College at 5 p.m.