GREENVILLE, Pa. – Dillon Hildebrand (Red Lion, PA/Red Lion) tallied a double-double with 17 kills and 13 digs to lead Penn State Behrend over Thiel 3-1 in non-conference men's volleyball action on Tuesday night.
The Lions (6-6) only surrendered the third set to hold off the Tomcats (5-9) for a 25-18, 25-20, 27-29, and 25-21 victory. Robert McMaster (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) added a game-high 19 digs, while Anthony Sprentz (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) dished out 39 assists on 50 team kills.
Cody Geis (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley) was efficient on offense, knocking in six kills on eight attempts with no errors for a .750 hitting percentage.
In the first set, Behrend broke open a one-point lead with seven straight points for a 17-9 advantage thanks to Sprentz's serving and the defense that forced five attack errors by Thiel. The Lions stayed out front and finished the opening set with a kill from Sprentz, Hildebrand and Tyler Herrmann (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) for a 25-18 win.
Sprentz had another serving streak in the middle of the second set that got Behrend out front 16-10. The Tomcats got within two on three occasions, including 22-20, but the Lions own the final three points on an attack error by Thiel, a kill from Hildebrand and an ace from Herrmann.
The Lions had a few costly attack errors in the final points of the third set to fall in extra points 29-27. Behrend bounced back to seal the victory with a 25-21 fourth set. Down 13-10, the Lions went on a 10-2 run to halt Thiel's comeback attempt and take the lead at 20-15. Jake Albert (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) tallied the final offensive point for Behrend with a kill for a 25-21 win.
Herrmann finished with 10 digs, eight kills and three blocks.
The Lions return to action on Saturday against Penn State Altoona. Match begins at 2 p.m.