HUNTINGDON, PA- The #8 Juniata women's volleyball team hosted the first weekend of Landmark Conference competition on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium. The Eagles picked up a pair of 3-0 wins to improve to 15-2 overall and 3-0 in the Landmark.
In the first match of the day, JC won 25-13, 25-14, 25-19 over Elizabethtown. Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, PA/Upper Saint Clair) totaled 20 assists and four digs. Brittani Young (Columbia, PA/Hempfield Area) led in digs with 10. Bryce Arnold (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg Area) led in kills with eight while Megan Moroney (Mentor, OH/Mentor) added six kills.
With the score at 9-8 in Juniata's favor in the first game, the Eagles rattled off four straight points to go ahead 13-8. JC ended the set with seven straight points to go up 1-0.
The Eagles broke open a close game in the second set with an 11-4 run to go up 18-9. The advantage grew to double digits with a four-point run to end the set and go ahead 2-0.
Juniata went up as much as 20-11 in the third game and was poised to run away with the set. The Blue Jays rallied to narrow the deficit to four points at 20-16. Elizabethtown would get as close as 22-19, but three straight points from the Eagles, highlighted by back-to-back aces from Brittanie Tannenbaum (Highlands Ranch, CO/Highlands Ranch) gave the set and the match to Juniata.
Juniata won the nightcap 25-17, 25-19, 25-12 over Moravian. The Eagles had 16 aces in the match with Reynolds tallying four of them to go along with 30 assists and six digs. Young had 13 digs and three service aces. Christine Sumner (Dublin, OH/Bishop Watterson) and Tannenbaum both had three service aces each. Amelia Kepler (Kane, PA/Kane Area) led the team in kills with eight with Moroney adding seven.
The Greyhounds got out to a quick 3-0 lead before the Eagles settled down to record three straight points to tie the set up. The match was tied 11-11 until Juniata ran off 10 points to surge ahead 21-11 and eventually claim the game.
Moravian led 10-6 in the second set but the Eagles would recover to tie (11-11) and then take the lead (12-11). Juniata led for the rest of match to go up 2-0.
After the Greyhounds scored the first point in the third set, three service aces from Tannenbaum and errors on Moravian gave the Eagles a 6-1 lead. The closest the Greyhounds got was 10-7 but JC was too much in the end as it easily took the set and the match.
The Eagles return to action next Friday when heads on the road to face Mary Washington at 7 p.m. Juniata returns to Landmark Conference play with the second round of Round Robin competition against Catholic and Goucher on Saturday.