HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Juniata men's volleyball hosted New Paltz and Wells College on the second day of Juniata Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles took the #2 Hawks to five sets but fell 3-2. JC rebounded with a 3-0 win over the Express.
The Eagles hung tough with the Hawks as they led 2-0 in their match. The first set was a back and forth battle early on. Leading 9-7, JC went on a 9-4 run to go ahead 18-11. New Paltz got to within three points of tying, 21-18, but the Eagles used a 4-2 run to put the Hawks away and go ahead 1-0 in the match.
Much like the first set, the Eagles used a big run in the second to pull away from New Paltz. JC rattled off a 11-4 run to go up 18-10. It would be a lead that would stick as Juniata won 25-18.
In the third frame, the Eagles had the match tied at 7-7. A 12-4 New Paltz run gave the visitors a 19-11 advantage. It would be one that JC could not recover from as it fell 25-17.
The Hawks picked up where they left in the third with a 6-1 run to start. Juniata was able to close the gap to 13-12 but New Paltz used a 5-1 run to get some breathing room and 25-20 to force a deciding fifth set.
New Paltz was ahead 7-4 but a 9-6 JC run tied the match at 13-13. In the end, the Hawks picked up two kills from Bradley Schneider to win the frame and the match.
Quinn Paterson (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge) had a line of 15 kills, six digs, and five assisted blocks. Mahlon Bender (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) had seven kills and six assisted blocks. Michael Young (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake Village) tallied 37 assists and four digs.
Against the Express, Juniata trailed 7-4 early on. The Eagles broke off eight straight points to go up 12-7. Wells answered back and it eventually took back the lead and went ahead 19-18. The Eagles outlasted the Express with a 7-4 run to win 25-23.
Building off their momentum, the Eagles seized an 8-3 advantage in the second set. While Wells was able to respond and close the gap to tie the frame at 11-all, an 11-2 JC run broke the game open as Juniata led 22-13 and went on to win 25-17.
A 10-7 Eagle lead in the third grew to 18-9. Juniata's advantage dipped no lower than six points as it cruised to the set and match victory.
Kyle Seeley (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) and Jake Dube (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) both picked up nine kills to lead the Eagles. Sean Cavanaugh (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) and Peterson chipped in eight kills with Peterson also picking up six digs. Young contributed 30 assists.
Juniata (3-3) travels to Western New York next weekend for the Golden Flyer Invitational. The Eagles will play Johnson and Wales (RI) and host Nazareth next Friday.