ERIE, Pa. – The Wittenberg men's volleyball team had three players with double-digit kills to earn a 3-1 win over Penn State Behrend in non-conference action Sunday at the Junker Center.
The win marks the second four-set victory for the Tigers (8-6) over the Lions (5-6) this season. Behrend won the first set 25-21 before Wittenberg won three unanswered sets to finish the weekend with a 3-0 record.
Anthony Sprentz (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) had a double-double with 20 assists and 12 digs. Dillon Hildebrand (Red Lion, PA/Red Lion) tallied a team-best 14 kills, while Josh Mathews (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) registered 12 assists, five digs and an ace.
Joey Reynolds (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) knocked down six kills on seven attempts to help the Lions take an early lead in the match by capturing the first set. Defensively, Behrend held the Tigers to a .160 hitting percentage, forcing seven errors. Trailing 9-5, the Lions went on a 14-5 run to take a 19-14 lead that would not relinquish. A pair of kills by Reynolds and one apiece by Jake Albert (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) and Hildebrand secured a four-point win at 25-21.
Wittenberg came back to hit .433 in the second set, getting eight kills from Justin Luby and recording 12 digs as a team for a 25-19 victory. In the third set, the Tigers trailed 4-3 and then got consecutive aces from Ashton Sellers to take the lead for good.
Wittenberg held the Lions to just six kills in the fourth set while knocking down 16 to make the difference and secure the match with a 25-19 win.
Behrend returns to action on Tuesday, February 20 at Thiel. Match time is 7 p.m.