HUNTINGDON, Pa.-The Juniata men's volleyball team swept Thiel, 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-20), to clinch a berth in the playoffs Friday evening at Memorial Gymnasium.
The opening set was close midway through as Juniata led 15-12. A kill by Quinn Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge), an ace by Joe Fick (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), followed by another Peterson kill and a second Fick ace forced the Tomcats to call timeout. Fick served up another ace proceeding break to make it 20-12 as the Eagles took control. With the score at 23-18, a kill from Fick gave Juniata set point before Mahlon Bender's (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) kill gave Juniata the first set 25-18.
The second set saw the teams tied at 6-6 before Juniata scored 13 straight points to take a commanding 19-6 lead. JC went on to capture set two 25-14.
The third set was the tightest one of the day as the squads tied 13 times over the decisive third set. With the score at 17-17: a kill from Fick, two attack errors from the Tomcats and an ace from Daniel Voronov (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North)made it 22-18. Matt Vasinko (Loyalhanna, Pa./Derry Area) took set three for JC with a final kill. Juniata hit a match high .480 in the final set.
Juniata will host Penn State Behrend and St. John Fisher, tomorrow at 11:00 and 3:00. The seniors will be honored prior to the 3:00 game.