Men's Volleyball Defeats Lancaster Bible; Falls to Lakeland

ERIE, Pa.  – The Penn State Behrend men's volleyball team split a non-conference tri-match, first defeating Lancaster Bible 3-0 before falling to Lakeland 3-0 on Saturday afternoon in the Junker Center.

The Lions (1-1) handed the Chargers (0-2) 25-19, 25-11, 25-19 loss behind nine kills from Grant Kocher (McMurray, PA/Peters Township) and 11 assists by Colin Ingram (Hilliard, OH/Hilliard Darby). As a team, Behrend committed only six errors while forcing 27 by Lancaster Bible. Behrend dropped the nightcap, 25-15, 25-17, 25-20 to the Muskies.

In the first set, a service error by the Chargers sparked a 5-1 run to give the Lions a 19-13 advantage. Josh Oertly (Cochranton, PA/Cochranton), Ty Sheehan (Cochranton, PA/Cochranton) and Kocher each had kills down the stretch for a 25-19 victory.

Behrend held Lancaster Bible to just 11 points, while hitting .588 as a team with 10 kills on 17 attacks and no errors. The Lions pulled ahead 16-9 forcing a Chargers timeout and then used a 9-2 run to finish the set, 25-11.

Lancaster Bible fought back in the third set, taking their first lead of the match at 9-8. Eric Theiss (Plum, PA/Plum) posted a kill and Kocher added two to knot the game at 13-all. The score was tied one more time at 15-all, before Zach Miller (Plum, PA/Plum) served out three straight points for a 19-15 lead. The final offensive points by the Lions came off an ace by Sheehan and a kill by Theiss to win the match.

Kevin Smith (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) led with five blocks and added four kills. Kocher and Thiess recorded four blocks.

In the second match, Alec Redlich led with a game-high 16 points to help Lakeland earn its third win of the season. Nathan Steele (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) tallied eight kills for Behrend.

The Muskies jumped out to a quick 19-10 advantage in the first set. Lakeland held on for a 10-point win thanks to a pair of kills from Brett Kaczmarek. The Lions were within one point at 16-15, but the Muskies ended the second set on a 9-2 run for a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set was close in the middle much like the second. Behrend trailed 14-13, but Lakeland scored seven straight points to give them a cushion in the Lions comeback attempt. Sheehan and Steele were successful at the net on two occasions to make it 24-20. The Muskies captured the match on a service error.

Ingram finished the day with 22 assists and 10 digs.

Behrend returns to action on Saturday against Siena Heights, beginning at 6:15 p.m.