Altoona, Pa – The Penn State Behrend Men’s Volleyball team defeated Penn State Altoona in the first round of the AMCC playoff structure on Tuesday, April 9, where they had a 3-1 victory on the road, at Penn State Altoona. Penn State Behrend fell short with a score of 22-25 in the first set, but were quickly able to get their foot in the door by winning the next three sets, with a score of 25-10, 25-19, and 25-22, respectively.

The Lions’ accomplishment of winning 3 sets of the matchup had advanced them to the AMCC Semifinals, as Penn State Altoona was not able to give any answer after losing the first set. Kyle Hoffman, of Cochranton High School, was able to get a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs on the statistics sheet. Daniel Easly, of McDowell High School, took the lead during the match, as he logged 16 kills for a .282 attack percentage.

Alex Jackson, of Cochranton High School, was able to manage 34 assists, and 44 total kills throughout the course of the match. Additionally, Jackson also accomplished five digs, three aces, three blocks, and two kills.

In the first set, Penn State Altoona was able to pull through and defeat the Lions, even though the Lions had a 12-10 lead, as they were able to win the final three points of the set, which forced Behrend into having to go into a fourth set to pull things together. This was able to happen by Behrend battling back with only six kills and 10 points, which made the match 1-1.

Behrend had a .364 attach percentage during the second set, and then had a .333 

Perotmenac in the third set, which then made Behrend have a 2-1 lead over Penn State Altoona. In the third set of the game, Jackson’s serves aided Behrend in staying ahead of Penn State Altoona during the final points of the set, due to a pair of aces, and setting Easly for kills, which led Behrend to a 24-18 lead. Behrend concluded the third set on top as a result of a service error, with a final score of 25-19.

Behrend had an evidently strong presence in the fourth set of the game, as they never fell behind Penn State Altoona. The Lions tied six times, but Easly gave a Kill, leading Behrend to a 22-21 lead. Several attack errors and a kill by Lewis Rhodes, of South Lakes High School, ended the match, giving Behrend the 3-1 victory.

Behrend will face St. Vincent in the AMCC Semifinal match on Friday, March 12, at 4:30 p.m.

*Information, photography, and graphics for this article were provided courtesy of Penn State Behrend Athletics.*