NEWARK, NJ- The 2017 season for the Juniata men's volleyball team began on Friday night at the CVC/UVC Crossover Tournament hosted by Rutgers-Newark. The Eagles faced #3 Stevens Institute and fell by the score of 3-0.
The Ducks dominated the first set 25-9. In the second set, the Eagles found themselves down 20-9 but rallied with a 6-1 run to get the score to 21-15. The Ducks were able to outlast Juniata as they were able to take the frame and lead the match 2-0.
Set three was close in the early stages as the teams were nearly neck and neck. Juniata broke a 10-10 tie with three straight points on an attack by Michael Young (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake Village) and two Stevens' errors. The Ducks pulled ahead with a 10-4 run. Stevens led 24-18 and looked to end the match but JC was able to hang in with a five-point rally to get the set to 24-23. The Eagles looked for the equalizing point but the match ended on a service error by Young.
Playing in his first collegiate match, Young finished with 19 assists, four digs, and two kills. Quinn Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge) led the offense with 10 kills on the night and also added four digs on the defensive end. Chris Heron (Las Vegas, Nev./Arbor View) had six digs.
Juniata is back in action tomorrow. The Eagles play Elmira on 11:00 a.m. and #6 UC Santa Cruz at 1:00 p.m.