HUNTINGDON, PA – In 2014, the Juniata women's volleyball team continued their reign in the Landmark Conference, winning their eighth straight conference title, and made their 34th straight NCAA tournament appearance. Their NCAA journey was ended in the regional semifinal round of the tournament by a 2-3 decision against eventual NCAA champions Hope.
Juniata returns with an experienced group of starters for the 2015 season. Head coach Heather Pavlik has noticed a focused, motivated attitude from her returners during preseason practices.
"The upperclassmen have been doing a good job of setting an example and holding everybody accountable," Pavlik said. "There's a high level of motivation right now."
Notable returners include juniors Nakita Gearhart (Waynesboro, PA / Greencastle-Antrim) , Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, PA \ Upper Saint Clair) and Mar-Jana Phillips (Carson, CA / Rolling Hills Preparatory).
Gearhart, a captain this season, was named MVP of the Landmark tournament last season. She received AVCA Division III Player of the Week recognition that week, making her the first Juniata athlete to receive the honors since 2009 (Paige Johnston). Gearhart recorded 13 kills with a .417 hitting percentage in the championship match.
Reynolds comes in as one of the top setters in the conference. She already has her name in the record books for Juniata and still has two seasons left to play. Reynolds is currently 10th in career assists at 2,151. Both Gearhart and Reynolds were named to First Team All-Landmark in 2014.
Phillips earned Second Team All-Landmark honors and was named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team. She recorded 272 kills in the 2014 season, averaging 2.62 kills per set.
Also returning to the Eagles in 2015 is sophomore Megan Moroney (Mentor, OH / Mentor). Moroney was named the Landmark Conference's Rookie of the Year in 2014. The middle hitter led the Eagles with 80 blocks, ranked third in the conference with 69 assisted blocks and had a .312 hitting percentage that also ranked third in the conference.
The combination of a strong group of returners and a talented freshman class resulted in the Eagles being voted No. 10 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) to start the 2015 season.
Ahead of Juniata according to the AVCA are three competitors that lie ahead in this year's schedule, No. 2 Emory, No. 4 Wittenberg and No. 6 Christopher Newport.
Pavlik, along with assistant coach Casey Dale and volunteer assistant Steve Ankney, put together a challenging schedule that will push and test their team's will to succeed.
"Those three (Emory, Wittenberg and Christopher Newport) will be tough for sure," Pavlik said. "They're all very, very competitive programs and we'll be on the road for them too. We've got to get good at playing at home and on the road so those will present really good challenges for us."
The freshman class has been pushing themselves to get their play up to speed for the upcoming challenges ahead. Pavlik said that the class is adapting very well so far, largely due to the support of the upperclassmen.
"They've been very giving and selfless," Pavlik said. "They really want to help the freshmen be able to settle in quickly. You don't always know how long it will take to get each of them to catch up to the speed of the game and this older group has really been helping them with that."
Juniata's top incoming players include Glen Brumm (Oro Valley, AZ / Canyon Del Oro), Katie Thomas (Batesville, IN / Batesville) and Marybeth Weihbrecht (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Cumberland Valley).
Brumm is an outside hitter from Tucson, AZ. She holds the school record for number of kills (34) in a match at Canyon Del Oro. Her background as a multi-sport athlete throughout high school speaks to her discipline as a student-athlete.
Thomas was another multi-sport athlete. She is a setter from Batesville, IN. Thomas holds the Batesville record for assists in a single season (1,158) and single match assist record (62).
Weihbrecht is a middle hitter from Cumberland Valley. She was named to the Mid-Penn Conference First Team and District III AAA Team in 2013 and 2014. Marybeth was also named to the All-State First Team in 2014.
The Eagles' coaching staff sees a lot of potential in their new athletes and feels the 2015 team could do great things if they continue to come together.
"It's all about trying to reach excellence within your own abilities and we just want them to reach their potential," Pavlik said. "If they do so then it should put them in a good position to do the kinds of things they want to do."
Juniata's first match of the season is Tuesday September 1 on the road against St. Vincent College at 7:00pm.
