Latrobe, PA – The Penn State Behrend men’s volleyball team fell to No. 1 seed St. Vincent in five sets, in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Semifinal Playoff game, on Friday, April 12. This game brought the Lions to an overall record of 12-16, and an AMCC record to 5-4.
Senior setter Alex Jackson, of Cochranton, Pennsylvania, was named to the AMCC All-Tournament Team.
The match was suspenseful and long, as a fifth set was needed to determine who was going to come up on top. St, Vincent and Behrend both had four kills during the fifth set, but Behrend had four additional attack errors. The Lions were attempting to come back from a 3-0 loss during the regular season, but were unable to pull it through, according to Penn State Behrend Athletics.
Jackson and Daniel Easly, of Erie, Pennsylvania, both logged a double-double during the game. Jackson also had a career-high 54 assists and 13 digs, and Easly also accomplished a career high of 18 kills and 10 digs. Joshua Elegeer, of Waterford, Pennsylvania, also had a strong career night, as he accomplished 17 digs.
Behrend had a 23-20 lead during the first set of the contest, but St. Vincent quickly answered with a 4-0 spurt to make the score 24-23, eventually winning the set with a score of 27-25.
Kyle Hoffman, of Carlton, Pennsylvania, was able to kill even the score at 24-all, but St. Vincent dominated the court as they scored the last two points on kills for a one set advantage over the Lions.
Behrend broke a 14-all tie in the second set, but was still unable to get over the wall. “The Bearcats took the third set at 25-23 and Behrend responded with a 25-19 fourth set” Penn State Behrend Athletics said in a statement on their website. St. Vincent defeated Behrend during the third set 25-23, but Behrend was able to even the lead, as they won the fourth set with a score of 25-19, which opened the door for a nerve racking fifth set.
Owen Wienczkowski, of Waterford, Pennsylvania, was able to keep Behrend in the game, as he brought down the final to kills.
The fifth set was not the best set for the Lions, as the final five points came with four attack errors. Hoffman contributed a career-high 20 kills, and also logged nine digs and five blocks. In addition, Wienczkowski accomplished 10 kills, and Lewis Rhodes, of Reston, Virginia, contributed seven blocks.
