HUNTINGDON, Pa. – No. 23 Juniata College (24-11) won its sixth consecutive Landmark Women's Volleyball Championship in straight sets, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-22), over Catholic University (27-10) Saturday Night. The Eagles remain undefeated in the league, having won 49-straight matches against Landmark opponents and gone 12-0 in tournament play. They will make their 32nd straight appearance in the NCAA tournament next weekend in the regionals.
This was Catholic's first appearance in the championship match. Juniata, a staple at the event, hit .275 as a team, recording 48 kills to the Cardinals 32.
"It was a total group effort," said Juniata Head Coach Heather Pavlik who is 2-for-2 in Landmark titles since taking the helm of the program. "I'm very, very proud of this young team."
The Eagles also finished with more assists (44), service aces (6) and blocks (7) than Catholic. Senior Kelsey Fuller (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) finished with her fourth straight double-doubled, 14th of the year. The outside hitter put down a match-high 12 kills and grabbed 14 digs.
Junior setter Sarah McCarthy (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook) picked up 40 assists in the win, giving her 100 assists on the day. And sophomore Brittani Young (Columbia, Pa./Helpfield Area) earned a team-high 21 digs.
As the 2012 Landmark Conference champion, Juniata gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III women's volleyball tournament. The Eagles will wait to see who they face in the regionals during the selection show on Monday, Nov. 5.
"They have been doing the regionals much more geographically and we are a little bit of an outlier here on the western part of the state, so I'm not sure yet," said Pavlik of potential post-season opponents. "Certainly there are some very good teams in our region. I just wait to hear what happens on Monday."
Juniata has not missed a dance since 1981. The Eagles are 19-5 in the NCAA tournament as Landmark Champions, 2-1 under Pavlik.
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