By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: JD Cavrich Photography
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Juniata College women's volleyball team came away from the final day of the Emory National Invite with wins over No. 15 Trinity (Tx.), 3-1 (13-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-20), and SUNY-Cortland 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-21). Senior Rachelle Wiegand (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) and freshman Nakita Gearhart (Waynesboro, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) were named to the All-Tournament team for their performances this weekend.
In the first match of the night, Wiegand posted a team-high 14 kills and a match-high 19 digs against the No. 15 team in the country. Sophomores Karley Christian (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Aliso Niguel) and Bryce Arnold (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg Area) helped the Eagles rebound from a first set loss with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
The Eagles struggled in the first set against the Tigers, allowing Trinity to run out to a 14-4 lead mid way through the game. Juniata fought back to within six at 16-10 Trinity, but the Tigers held out for the set victory. The second set was a tight battle with Juniata clawing its way back to tie the game at 20 all thanks to a number of strong service runs by freshman Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, Pa./Upper Saint Clair).
In the third set, Trinity took an 8-5 lead, but Juniata showed its resiliency once again getting tough serving from seniors Amy Miller (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) and Sarah McCarthy (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook). The Eagles took the final lead of the set at 21-20 and closed it out with a kill from Wiegand for the 2-1 sets lead.
Despite Trinity taking the lead at 15-14, the Eagles dominated the fourth set getting some solid late-in- -set blocks from Gearhart and freshman Taylor Miles (Mapleton Depot, Pa./Mount Union) for the 25-20 win taking the match 3-1.
In the final bout of the regular season, Juniata took down the Red Dragons of SUNY-Cortland in straight sets for the teams' 28th victory of the year. Gearhart finished the match with a far-and-away match-high 18 kills from a .708 attack percentage.
The two teams stayed close in the first set locking at 14-14 before Juniata pulled ahead to a 19-14 off the service of junior libero Brittani Young (Columbia, Pa./Hempfield Area). Young finished the night with a match-high 19 digs and added an ace to Juniata's seven of the match.
After grinding out the first set 25-17 on back-to-back blocks by Christian, Juniata continued its momentum into set two, taking the first seven points off the service of Reynolds. Cortland fought back with a four-point rally and, though the Red Dragons were able to pull within one on a few different occasions, the Eagles took the second set 26-24 for the commanding 2-0 lead.
The Red Dragons stretched the first lead of the third set out to 4-0 and continued to pull away, reaching a six-point lead at 19-13. After a kill from Arnold to make it 19-14 Cortland, Young took over serving duties and Juniata went on a nine point run, forcing two Cortland timeouts, and taking over the lead at 23-19. The Eagles closed out the match with back-to-back kills from Gearhart for the 3-0 sweep.
Juniata finished the regular season 28-4 overall and will host the Landmark Conference Tournament Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8 and 9 in Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center.
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