PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. – Penn State Schuylkill Men's Volleyball fell in three sets to NCAA Division III opponent University of Valley Forge on Wednesday.
Ashton Owens (Pine Grove, PA / Pine Grove Area High School) secured an ace to narrow Schuylkill's deficit to 4-2 early in the first set. Following consecutive service errors by both sides, Valley Forge ran off 10 straight points to capitalize on the opening set.
Schuylkill took an early 3-2 lead during the second set following another ace by Owens. A kill by Valley Forge on the subsequent play was promptly matched by a kill from Bryce Hensley (Lake Wynonah, PA / Blue Mountain High School). Hensley and Zach Fisher (Cressona, PA / Blue Mountain High School) combined for 5 kills during the second set. With both teams trading points throughout the first half of the set, Valley Forge took control of the set following 5 consecutive points to claim a 19-12 lead.
Schuylkill matched Valley Forge's 4-0 start with a 4-0 stretch of their own, highlighted by a Hensley kill. Two consecutive aces by Karandhir Flora (Weehawken, NJ / Weehawken High School) and an attack error by Valley Forge gave Schuylkill a 9-7 lead early in the set.
A swing of three points by both teams kept Schuylkill's advantage at two points before 10 straight points by Valley Forge ultimately put the game out of reach.
Hensley led Schuylkill with 5 kills and 3 digs. Also contributing kills for Schuylkill was Fisher who finished with 3. Owens and Flora finished with two aces each while Owens recorded 2 digs. Ryan Leibson (Orwigsburg, PA / Blue Mountain High School) tallied 4 assists.
Schuylkill (0-3 overall) will travel to King's College on Thursday, February 29th for their next matchup. Start time is set for 7:00 p.m.
