#1 BUFFALO STATE, #2 PENN STATE BEHREND TO MEET IN MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Top seeded Buffalo State University and #2 Penn State Behrend each earned victories in the semifinal round of the AMCC Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament to advance to the championship match, slated for Saturday afternoon.
Buffalo State 3, Penn State Altoona 0
The Bengals cruised to a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-20, 25-18) over #4 Penn State Altoona to cement their spot in the conference title match.
The Bengals got off to a bumpy start in the first set, as the Lions jumped out to an early lead. A five-point rally gave the Bengals their first lead, but the Lions tied it up. The teams traded points until back-to-back two-point rallies put the Bengals ahead. Another run sealed the set for the Bengals. In the second set, both sides would trade points throughout the early portion of the set. After a mini run by the Lions to bring themselves within one point, the Bengals responded with a five-point run, creating enough distance to gain the second set win, with a three-set sweep in play. In the third set, the Bengals would find themselves trailing early in play once again, as the Lions stormed out with a five-point run. A three-point rally from the Bengals would slim their deficit, as every point in the set mattered for both sides. This new wave of momentum would propel the Bengals to four straight points, reclaiming the lead and putting themselves in the driver's seat to close out this AMCC Championship Semifinal bout. A run of point trading would once again begin, with the Bengals coming out on top of the stretch, rallying three-straight points to close out the Lions at home, advancing to their second consecutive AMCC Championship game.
Buffalo State's Gavin Wilczewski led all players with 13 kills on the night, a season-high in three sets, with Kaden Strong adding 12 kills in support. Drew Bowman posted a three-set season-high with 38 assists, leading all players. Defensively, D. Bowman and Wilczewski led the Bengals with seven digs each, with Strong adding five total blocks at the net for the Bengals.
Lukas Weathersbee led the Altoona Lions with 11 kills, with Shawn Thomas leading with 14 assists. Defensively, Jack McKenna led the way with nine digs.
Penn State Behrend 3, Houghton 0
The Penn State Behrend men's volleyball team advances to the AMCC championship match with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-15) win over Houghton in the semifinals on Wednesday night.
Behrend had its second-highest hitting percentage (.412) behind 44 kills on 85 attempts with just nine errors in three sets on the night. Tarendran Heyward helped lead the Lions with a season-high 11 kills, hitting .667, while adding three block assists. Logan Unger dished out 22 assists, while Luke Mumpower added 18 assists and four service aces. Mumpower is now four service aces away from becoming the all-time program leader. Joseph Sciscio had seven kills on nine attempts while Daniel Easly and Cameron Schleicher each posted eight kills. The Lions never trailed in the first set, winning 25-16. Schleicher recorded six digs in the opening set, while Easly and Heyward added three kills. Six different players recorded a kill in the second set, including four players with three kills apiece. Eight points separated Behrend and Houghton in the second for a 2-0 lead in the match. Despite four ties and two lead changes, the Lions held the Highlanders to 15 points in the third set. Heyward managed five kills and Easly tallied four and the final kill at match point on an assist from Unger.
As the top seed in the AMCC Championship Tournament, the Buffalo State Bengals will host the second-seeded Penn State Behrend Lions in the AMCC Championship game on Saturday, April 11 at 2:00 PM in the Sports Arena.