PITTSBURGH – The Penn State Altoona men's volleyball team traveled for another tri-match on Saturday, as the Lions took on Carlow University and Chatham University in non-conference matches at Chatham's Athletics and Fitness Center.

Penn State Altoona (4-4) defeated Carlow 3-1 in its first match of the day, then followed that up with another 3-1 victory in the nightcap against Chatham.

Penn State Altoona will meet both teams again later this season in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play.

Match One: Penn State Altoona 3, Carlow 1

Penn State Altoona started its day with a four-set victory over Carlow (0-7). The Lions earned a lopsided 25-12 win in the first set, before the Celtics responded by taking the second set by a score of 25-19. But Penn State Altoona posted 25-20 and 25-22 wins in the next two sets to clinch the victory.

Avery Farabaugh (Ebensburg, PA/Cambria Heights) tied his season-high in points for Penn State Altoona, leading all players in the match with 22 points and 18 kills. He also had team-highs with 17 digs and three service aces while chipping in two block assists.

Willem Del Priore (Seven Valleys, PA/Dallastown) had 7.5 points on seven kills and a block assist, and he also recorded seven digs. Connor Ebersole (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) scored five points on three kills and a match-high three total blocks, as he finished with two block assists and one solo block, and Xavier Vang (Rogers, MN/Rogers) had five points on five kills with six digs. Jared Kish (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Darby) totaled 4.5 points on two kills, two aces, and a block assist while compiling eight digs.

Mason Grover (Penfield, NY/Penfield) notched a team-high 32 assists to go along with four digs and a pair of aces.

Penn State Altoona pulled away from Carlow midway through the first set to turn a three-point lead into a 13-point advantage by the end of the set. Up 11-8, the Lions scored the next seven points in a row, including getting one kill apiece from Ebersole and Del Priore, an Ebersole solo block, and a duo block by Ebersole and Del Priore. A Farabaugh kill preceded a block from Ebersole and Farabaugh that extended the Lions' lead to 21-9. Kish's kill got Penn State Altoona to set point, 24-11, and a Carlow service error provided the Lions with the winning point, concluding the set at 25-12.

Penn State Altoona trailed for the entirety of the second set. Carlow scored the first two points, then established leads of 12-6, 13-7, and 14-8 later in the set. The Lions used an 8-3 run to close the gap to one, 17-16, including getting three points in a row on a Farabaugh kill and back-to-back Kish aces. But Carlow outscored Penn State Altoona 8-2 the rest of the way, prevailing 25-19 to even the match score at one set apiece.

The Lions responded in the third set, taking an early lead and never looking back, as kills by Del Priore and Farabaugh helped Penn State Altoona work its way out to a 5-1 advantage. In the middle stages of the set, the Lions went on a 6-0 run highlighted by two Farabaugh kills, one Ebersole kill, and a Grover ace to increase their lead to 16-10. Kills from Farabaugh and Kish helped Penn State Altoona boost its lead to seven, 21-14, and the Lions were aided by four Carlow errors late in the set to finish with a 25-20 victory.

Six more Carlow miscues helped Penn State Altoona start the fourth set with a 6-3 lead. The Celtics rallied to jump ahead 11-10, but kills from Farabaugh and Del Priore were part of a 5-1 run by the Lions that put them back in front, 15-12. Aces by Farabaugh on consecutive plays helped increase Penn State Altoona's advantage to 21-15, and three more Farabaugh kills got the Lions to set point, 24-21. Penn State Altoona put the finishing touches on its win when Del Priore provided the clinching point with a kill, and the Lions won the fourth set 25-22 to take the match.

Match Two: Penn State Altoona 3, Chatham 1

Penn State Altoona came back with another 3-1 win in its second and final match of the day. The Lions and Cougars (2-5) traded 25-22 wins in the first two sets, with Penn State Altoona taking the first and Chatham claiming victory in the second. But the Lions got back on track with a 25-22 win in the third, and Penn State Altoona iced the win by taking the fourth set 25-20.

Farabaugh led all players in the match with 19.5 points on 18 kills, a solo block, and a block assist, and he also posted a match-high 29 digs to tie for the second-most digs in a match by a player in Penn State Altoona men's volleyball program history.

Del Priore collected 11.5 points on 11 kills and a block assist while adding 13 digs. Ebersole totaled 7.5 points on five kills, three block assists, and an ace, and Kish contributed 6.5 points on six kills and a block assist. Vang chipped in four points on four kills while also earning 12 digs.

Grover tied his season-high in assists, totaling a match-high 39.

Leading 5-2 early in the first set, Penn State Altoona later got back-to-back kills from Vang and Kish that increased its advantage to four points, 8-4. Chatham chipped away at its deficit and eventually tied the game at 14-14, before a Cougars error and Ebersole ace handed the lead back to Penn State Altoona. Chatham continued to stay close, but a pair of Kish kills gave the Lions a three-point buffer, 19-16. The home team worked its way back to within one point, 23-22, but a Farabaugh kill and Chatham attack error helped Penn State Altoona escape the opening set with a 25-22 victory.

In the second set, the teams again battled closely for the duration, this time with Chatham coming out on top. Back-to-back kills from Farabaugh and Del Priore set a Penn State Altoona lead at 11-8 midway through, and Ebersole and Kish each scored kills to help keep the Lions ahead, 14-12. However, Chatham scored the next four points to leap in front, 16-14, and the Cougars went on to lead by as many as seven points. Chatham eventually grabbed a 25-22 win in the set to tie the match at 1-1.

Penn State Altoona overcame an early Chatham lead in the third set to win it. Down 6-3, the Lions tied the set on a Cougars service error and kills from Vang and Del Priore. Two Farabaugh kills re-tied the score at 9-9, and another Farabaugh kill knotted it at 12-12. A pair of Chatham attack errors put Penn State Altoona into the lead, before Farabaugh's kill gave the Lions a three-point advantage, 15-12. Later, a Del Priore kill kept the difference at three points, 20-17, and Ebersole and Grover combined on a block to make it 22-18. Grover's ace put Penn State Altoona's lead at 24-19, and Farabaugh swung a kill to close the set with a 25-22 win for the Lions.

The Lions wrapped things up with a five-point win in the fourth set. With the score tied 6-6, two Farabaugh kills and one Del Priore kill helped Penn State Altoona secure a 12-9 advantage. Holding a four-point lead several points later, the Lions grew their advantage with two Ebersole kills and a Farabaugh kill that made it 19-13. Two more Farabaugh kills helped Penn State Altoona get to 24-19, and one point later, a Chatham service error ended the set at 25-20 in favor of the Lions.

Penn State Altoona men's volleyball hits the road again next weekend for another tri-match, when the Lions will travel to Latrobe, Pa. to compete in a pair of non-conference matches on Sunday, February 11. That day, the Lions will face host Saint Vincent College at 11 a.m. before playing Mount Aloysius College at 12:30 p.m.