HIRAM, Ohio - March 25, 2023 - The Hiram men's volleyball team came close to knocking off one of the best teams in the AMCC, but a late rally led to a 5-set loss to Penn State Behrend on Saturday afternoon at Price Gymnasium: 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 27-25, 13-15.

The Terriers nearly beat a team that's now 10-1 in the conference thanks to a record-breaking performance from Kyle Martini, who set a new program record with 31 kills. Tom Supan held the previous single-game mark for Hiram history (28 kills vs Penn State Behrend in 2021).

Matthew Albano recorded 40 assists, which marked his 2nd career game with 40+ kills. The only other Hiram player all-time to have multiple career games with 40+ kills is Andrew Diaz de Padilla.

Cullen Sivak also had his third straight match with 10+ kills (11) after not having such a game in his first 15 career games.

Hiram moved to 5-4 in AMCC play and 7-12 overall. It is seeking a 4th straight season with a winning conference record; 4 AMCC games are remaining on the team's 2023 regular-season schedule.

Each set in the match involved lead changes, delays and late-set drama. One thing that was consistent throughout — the attack of Martini, who had 6 kills in each of the first 3 sets before tallying 7 in the fourth set and 6 in the "first-to-15-point" fifth set.

Both teams had clutch moments: Hiram broke a 23-23 tie by winning the last 2 points in the first set. Penn State Behrend broke a 22-22 tie by winning the last 3 points in the second set. The Lions would win 4 of the final 5 points in the third set to pull ahead, 2 sets to 1. The Terriers would then win 6 of the final 8 points in the fourth set to level the score, 2 sets to 2.

It all added up to a historic day for Martini, who took control of the Hiram offense and continuously found creases in the Lions defense to keep his team alive. Albano mixed in sets to Sivak and Jackson Deubner to give the offense a different look, while Martini took over in the critical moments.

The fifth set saw Hiram jump out to a 3-1 and eventually a 13-9 lead, with Martini and Albano working together on a number of points. Penn State Behrend would win the final 6 points, though, and hang on for the victory.

The Terriers will have a chance to bounce back on Wednesday when they head to Latrobe, Pennsylvania and take on Saint Vincent at 7 p.m.