HUNTINGDON, Pa.- In front of a packed and loud Memorial Gymnasium, the Juniata men's volleyball team hosted its first match of the 2017 season on Friday night. The Eagles took care of visiting Wittenberg as they won by the score of 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-20).
The two teams played evenly in the first set. The Eagles put a run together and led 19-15 at one point. The Tigers answered with a run of their own and wrestled the lead back to go ahead 21-20. Juniata picked up two points on a service and attack error by Wittenberg. The Tigers were able to tie the set at 23-23 but a kill from Kyle Seeley (Ellicott City, MD./Howard) and a service ace from Seeley gave JC the 25-23 win.
JC roared out to a 11-3 lead in the second frame. Wittenberg tried to close the gap but the Eagles kept their distance as they would easily win 25-14.
The third set was much like the first as it was a tight battle throughout. Juniata was able to break away with a run to go ahead 16-12. The Eagles maintained their lead and ended the set with a big kill from Seeley.
Quinn Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge) led with 10 kills on the evening with Seeley adding nine and hitting .500. Alex Schultz (Fairfax, Va./Paul VI Catholic) had three service aces. Chris Heron (Las Vegas, Nev./Arbor View) totaled 11 digs. Michael Young (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake Village) finished with 30 assists and five digs. Juniata hit a collective .359.
Head coach Glenn DeHaven commented on the atmosphere and that it gave his team a home court advantage. On his team's effort, DeHaven said that the guys worked hard all week on things that they struggled with last weekend.
Juniata will play a pair of matches tomorrow afternoon. The Eagles face defending national champion and #2 ranked New Paltz at 3:00 p.m. with Wells College following at 5:00 p.m.