(CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.) – The Wilson men's volleyball team's bid to sweep the season series against Penn State Altoona came up short as the Phoenix dropped a four-set contest with the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. The day started well for Wilson as it came from behind to score a thrilling first set victory before the visitors responded by taking the next three for the match.
The Basics
Scores: Wilson 1, Penn State Altoona 3
Venue: Gannett Field House
Records: Wilson 5-10, Penn State Altoona 9-7
How It Happened
- Kills by Jackson Wolfe (FY, Abbottstown, Pa. / New Oxford) and Demetrius Simmons (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) helped set the tone early while an additional two spikes by Jacob McCoy (Jr., York, Pa. / Spring Grove) kept the Phoenix close with Altoona. The Nittany Lions started to pull away with four of the next five points for a 12-8 lead, but the Phoenix received a pair of aces from Ryan Koontz (So., York Haven, Pa. / Red Land) to make sure they didn't get too far away. Another small Nittany Lions run allowed them to inch ahead and they eventually saw themselves up 23-19 after an Owen Pratt kill. Wolfe then set an impressive comeback in motion with a kill and Xavier Webber (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) added two more to help the Phoenix vault ahead 24-23. Altoona staved off defeat until a Koontz kill and a Vincent Natale (Jr., Mt. Airy, Md. / Linganore) ace gave Wilson the game.
- Another close game started the second as both teams were even at 14-all. Penn State started to take control after that with a 9-1 run and shortly evened the match thereafter. That momentum carried over into the third where the Nittany Lions jumped out to a 7-3 lead. The Phoenix were stay close and used kills from McCoy, Koontz and Wolfe to make it 11-9. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions went on another large run with seven unanswered points for an 18-9 advantage. Wilson was unable to recover as the Nittany Lions took a 2-1 lead.
- Altoona remained hot and took a large lead to open the fourth at 11-3. Wilson took three of the next five, but the Nittany Lions remained in control with a 7-1 run. The Phoenix attempted to mount a comeback with a 5-1 rally with a block from Webber and Simmons, but the deficit proved too much to overcome.
Inside The Numbers
- Wolfe had a strong night with a match-best 12 kills on 24 attempts for a hitting percentage of .333. He was a dig shy of a double-double and added a block on the front line as well.
- Webber and McCoy added strong support on the front line with nine and eight kills, respectively.
- Koontz was particularly effective on the receiving end as he matched Altoona's Caleb Fries with 15 digs, the most among non-libero players.
- Camden Sterner (So., Spring Grove, Pa. / Spring Grove) reached double-figures in digs once again with 10. It's the ninth time this season he's reached the mark.
Up Next
Conference play awaits the Phoenix who will conveniently start United East action in Phoenixville against Valley Forge on Saturday. First serve with the Patriots is set for 1 p.m.
