ERIE, P.A. – The Medaille College men's volleyball team traveled to Penn State Behrend for their Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference match. The Mavs lost in three sets to the Lions (12-25, 16-25, 17-25).

In the first set, the Lions came out aggressive scoring early from the service line and at the net. Malachi Jackson (Cheektowaga, NY, Cheektowaga) had the first kill of the match assisted by Brandon Smith (Lancaster, NY, Lancaster). Smith added an ace at the end of the set, but the Lions took care of business winning 25-12.

The Mavs scored first in the second set as Tyler Hassell (Angola, NY, Lake Shore) put down an early kill. Matt Dickerson (Lockport, NY, Starpoint) and Jackson found their stride in the middle of the set to stay within range of the Lions. A late push by the Lions fueled by Maverick hitting errors helped them take the set, 25-16.

Hassell made his mark in the third set as the Mavs left it all out on the court. The Lions continued to break off multi-point scoring runs to keep the momentum on their side. A kill by Hassell had the Mavs down by three (13-16) before the Lions scored eight of the next ten points. The deficit was too much to overcome as Medaille dropped the set, 17-25.

Jackson led the Mavs in kills with eight while adding a solo block and service ace. Hassell had the best hitting percentage for Medaille with a .333 grabbing four kills on nine attempts. Smith finished with 16 assists, an ace, and four digs. George Muriel (Hamburg, NY, Hamburg) led defensively with five digs and a block assist.

The Mavs will look to bounce back for a big weekend of volleyball. Medaille will play on Saturday, March 5 against Saint Vincent College at 12:00 p.m. and Thiel College at 5:00 p.m.