BUFFALO, NY – The Penn State Behrend men's volleyball team opened up Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) play with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 30-28) victory over D'Youville on Wednesday night.
Robert McMaster (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) led with 17 digs, while Dillon Hildebrand (Red Lion, PA/Red Lion) and Tyler Herrmann (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) had double-digit kills with 12 and 10, respectively, to help the Lions (3-4, 1-0 AMCC) win their third match.
Anthony Sprentz (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) dished out 34 assists and added six digs.
Hildebrand tallied six of his team-best 12 kills in the first set alone, knocking down three for the final offensive points for Behrend to get a 25-21 set-one victory. With the set tied at 12-all, Sprentz recorded a kill to give the Lions the lead for good.
In the second set, the Spartans (1-6, 0-1 AMCC) kept within one point until the very end. Trailing 20-19, Cody Geis (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg) made it even with a kill and then served the next two points for a 22-20 lead. Herrmann got a pair of kills to get Behrend to set point and the Lions won on an attack error by D'Youville at 25-22.
Each team took their turns at runs in the third set. With Behrend holding the lead, the Spartans came back on two occasions to tie it at 20-all. From there, it was point-for-point thanks to three kills from Hildebrand. Zachary Lizun (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) made it 28-27 with a kill but a service error knotted the set up one last time. A kill from Geis and an attack error helped Behrend sweep D'Youville in three.
The Lions return to action on Saturday against Hiram for their home opener. Match begins at 1 p.m.