HUNTINGDON, PA- The Juniata women’s volleyball team kicked off the 22nd annual ASICS Invitational on Friday afternoon. The Eagles hosted Salisbury University in the first match and came away with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-16) victory.
Against the Sea Gulls, Mar-Jana Phillips (Carson, CA/Rolling Hills Prep) had 12 kills to lead the Eagles. Bryce Arnold (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg Area) nearly had a double-double with nine kills and 10 digs. Brittani Young (Columbia, PA/Hempfield Area) had 10 digs and added five assists. Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, PA/Upper Saint Clair) contributed 30 assists and six digs.
Juniata had leads of 21-13 and 22-15 in the first game to pull away from Salisbury. In the second game, the Sea Gulls got out to a 6-3 lead but JC came back with a rally to overtake the visitors and led by as much as 21-12. Salisbury began to mount a comeback with four straight points to make it 22-19 and then trailed by only one at 25-24. The Eagles would eventually take the last two points of the set capitalized by a kill from Nakita Gearhart (Waynesboro, PA/Greencastle-Antrim).
JC took its momentum from the second set into the third and raced out a 7-0 advantage. The Sea Gulls never threatened as the Eagles took the set 25-13 to win the match.
In the nightcap, the Eagles led the Captains 2-0, but CNU rallied to win the final three sets to pull off a 3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-15, 15-12) upset. Three sets were decided by three points or fewer.
Phillps again led Juniata in kills with 13 and added four digs. Gearhart tallied 11 kills as did Amelia Kepler (Kane, PA/Kane Area). Arnold chipped in nine kills and seven digs. Megan Maroney (Mentor, OH/Mentor) picked up eight kills. Young led in digs with 21 and had seven assists. Christine Irwin (State College, PA/State College) totaled nine digs. Reynolds had 42 assists and six digs.
The Captains led early on 9-5 but Juniata rallied with four points to knot it up at 9-all. The Eagles went ahead 20-16 but CNU’s rally knotted the set up at 21-21. The two teams traded points until JC earned the last two to lead 1-0.
JC led early in the second game but Christopher Newport came back to tie and eventually go ahead by as much as 18-15. The Eagles tied it up at 18-all and there would be two more ties forced by CNU but Juniata earned the final three points to win the set.
The third set was neck and neck at 15-15 until the Captains rattled off five straight points to surge ahead 20-15. The Eagles chipped away and got to within 20-17 but CNU would outscore JC 5-2 down the stretch to win 25-19.
It would be all Captains in the fourth set as the Eagles never had a lead. The final set saw the visitors again take an early lead but Juniata put up a strong fight and recovered to go up 9-6. CNU came back to tie and then go up 10-9. The Captains outscored the Eagles 5-3 to take the game and pull off a stunner.
Juniata will look to regroup tomorrow afternoon when it takes on Franklin and Marshall at 1 p.m. The Eagles wrap up the Invitational at 5 p.m. with a match against SUNY Cortland.
