By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: Christopher Shannon
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The No. 8 Juniata College women's volleyball team fell 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12) to No. 21 Stevenson University in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament regional semifinals, Saturday night in Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center. The Eagles finish the season 31-5 overall.
"I'm very proud of the group I have," said head coach Heather Pavlik. "Things don't always turn out exactly the way you want them to, but there's something to said about the process and the way you go through it. These young players have gained a ton of knowledge throughout the year. They've been through their ups and their downs and are learning how to become veterans."
The first point of the match came from a long rally and ended in a decisive block by Nakita Gearhart (Waynesboro, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim). The Eagles took the first five points of the set forcing a Stevenson timeout and Gearhart kept right on rolling slamming down a match-high 18 kills tying a career-high.
Senior Amy Miller (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) served the eagles to a seven-point lead at 17-10 and hammered out set point for the Juniata 1-0 lead. Miller finished with six kills and a team-high 18 digs. The Juniata block performed like a wall in the first set with the team totaling one solo block and four block assists.
Miller started the Eagles on the first roll of the second set with Juniata, again, jumping out to a five-point lead. The Eagles held a commanding lead at 17-9 before Stevenson earned a burst of momentum climbing to within two at 20-18 Juniata. The Mustangs tied the set at 21-21 and took their first lead of the match with the next point and held on for the 25-23 set two win to tie the match at 1-1.
Freshman Mar-Jana Phillips (Caron, Calif./Rolling Hills Preparatory) stopped Stevenson's third set momentum with a powerful kill and freshman Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) served the Eagles to the 3-2 lead. Phillips had a career high 10 kills and Reynolds had a career high five kills. The two teams battled back and forth with the Mustangs squeaking out a three-point lead at 14-11. Juniata tied the match at 14-14 and reached 18-16 on a dominant termination by Miller. Stevenson was able to fight off two set points before Bryce Arnold (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg Area) smashed down the 25th point for the Eagles to take a 2-1 sets lead.
The Mustangs grabbed the early lead in set four and Juniata spent the majority of the set chipping away. At the critical 18-point mark, Stevenson held six point lead. The Eagles battled back to within two at 22-19, but the Mustangs took set four 25-20.
Juniata took the first point of the fifth set on a resounding block. With the Eagles down four in the shortened set, Arnold tallied a service ace and Gearhart put down a termination to pull within one at 7-6 Stevenson. Phillips powered down a termination to tie the set at 11-11. Juniata took the lead on a block by Amelia Kepler (Kane, Pa./Kane Area) at 12-12, but the Mustangs were able to pull out the next three points for the 3-2 win.
The match marked the final competition in the careers of seniors Sarah McCarthy (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook), Miller, Courtney Lydick (McKean, Pa./General McLane), and Rachelle Wiegand (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central).
"These seniors are pretty special to me," said Pavlik. "They went through the transition of me going from assistant coach to head coach so they're a very very special group. I wish we could have gotten them to where they wanted to go, but what they've done for this [younger] crew is invaluable. They've taught them how to do things, how to go about their work every day, how to hit the weight room, how to lead, and I think they'll be paying things forward for a very long time to come."
Stevenson will face second seeded Eastern University in the regional championship match tomorrow Sunday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m.
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