(ALTOONA, Pa.) – The Wilson men's volleyball team picked up its first of the season as it took down Penn State Altoona in four sets on Tuesday night.
Jackson Wolfe (Abbottstown, Pa. / New Oxford) had his best match of his rookie season thus far with 14 kills and
Xavier Webber (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) added another 11 as to lead the team.
The Basic
Scores: Wilson 3, Penn State Altoona 1 (25-20, 25-18, 19-25, 25-19)
Venue: Adler Arena
Records: Wilson 1-5, Penn State Altoona 3-2
How It Happened
- The first set was close at the start as both teams were even through the first 30 points. That changed when a Jacob McCoy (Jr., York, Pa. / Spring Grove) and Satvik Sharma (FY, Hummelstown, Pa. / Hershey) paired up for a block that put Wilson on an 8-2 run to make the score 23-17. Altoona scored the next two, but Webber put down an attack to let the Phoenix serve for set point which they eventually got after a Nittany Lions service error.
- It was all Wilson at the start of the second as the Phoenix jetted off to a 6-0 start. Webber and Demetrius Simmons (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) set the tone with a block on the opening point and the duo added a second for the sixth point. The Nittany Lions closed the gap to 8-5, but it was the closest they would get for the rest of the frame. The Phoenix scored four of the next five with a pair of Webber kills and led by at least five the rest of the way.
- Another fast start saw the Phoenix take a 5-2 lead. McCoy scored a kill to make it 10-7 before Altoona had its best run of the night with 10 of the next 14 points for an 18-15 lead. Wolfe scored a kill that brought Wilson within one at 20-19, but the hosts took the set with five consecutive points to force a fourth.
- After a 5-5 start, Wilson created some separation with kills from Wolfe and Koontz along with an Altoona error. The Nittany Lions scored the next two and stuck around before the Phoenix fired off five-straight points to make it a 20-13 game. McCoy and Webber started the run with kills, and after a miscue by Altoona, Sharma dumped in a pair of kills. Another Webber Simmons rejection helped Wilson inch closer towards the finish line with a Wolfe kill sealing the win.
Inside The Numbers
- Wolfe finished with 14 kills on 32 swings for a hitting percentage of .344. He picked up the double-double as he led the team with 11 digs as well.
- Webber finished with 11 digs and was one dig shy of a double-double. He provided problems up front as well with four blocks.
- Simmons had his best match up front as he recorded a career-high seven blocks, two of which were solo.
- Sharma was highly effective setting up the offense with a season-best 38 assists.
- Wilson had its highest hitting percentage of the season thus far at .220 with 41 kills.
- Altoona was paced by Caleb Fries who led the match with 15 kills.
Up Next
Wilson will look to make it two-straight with a short road trip to Frederick to take on Hood on Thursday. First serve with the Blazers is set for 7 p.m.
