HUNTINGDON, PA – With the fate of the game on the line and Susquehanna at match point in the fifth set, the Juniata women's volleyball team rallied together and battled back to a thrilling 18-16 victory for the Landmark Championship title Saturday night. 

The Crusaders led Juniata 14-10 before an attack error put the fate of the match in the hands of Bryce Arnold (Shippensburg, PA / Shippensburg Area). Arnold came up big for the Eagles, forcing an attack error and recording a service ace to put JC within a point. 

Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, PA / Upper Saint Clair) set up Brittanie Tannenbaum (Highlands Ranch, CO/ Highlands Ranch) for the kill and the match was all tied up at 14.

A packed Memorial Gym was on its feet for the remainder of the match. Chants of 'Juniata' filled the air and the Eagles settled into their zone. 

"The crowd was great tonight," head coach Heather Pavlik said. "Things that make coaches crazy make them go crazy and that definitely helped us down the stretch." 

Megan Moroney (Mentor, OH / Mentor) thrived in the atmosphere and recorded a kill to put the Eagles at match point and force a Susquehanna timeout. 

The Crusaders evened the match at 15 and again at 16 before the Eagles pulled away for an 18-16 victory. The game-winning point came on a service ace from freshman Katie Byrne (Annapolis, MD / Broadneck). With the 3-2 (19-25, 25-21, 26-24, 13-25, 18-16) victory, Juniata earned their ninth straight Landmark Conference title.

This was the first time in Landmark history that the championship match was stretched to five sets. 

"Susquehanna played extremely well," Pavlik said. "Their two outside hitters were very, very good and when you can't slow down an outside hitter, that can be a challenging thing to overcome." 

Nakita Gearhart (Waynesboro, PA / Greencastle-Antrim) led Juniata throughout the tournament and earned back-to-back MVP honors for her effort. She finished the match with 20 kills, a .366 hitting percentage and two block assists. In the postseason, she totaled 34 kills, a .394 hitting percentage and four block assists. 

"Nakita carried us throughout the entire match," Pavlik said. "We struggled tonight, but the team never quit and you can point to her for that. She never quits and keeps playing. That drive will go a long way for us." 

Moroney and Arnold also rose to the occasion in the fifth set. Moroney finished with 10 kills, a .286 hitting percentage, one solo block and five block assists.

Mar-Jana Phillips (Carson, CA / Rolling Hills Preparatory) recorded nine kills, three solo blocks and two block assists.

Byrne totaled two service aces, including the game-winner, and 13 digs.

With the win, Juniata now looks ahead to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles find out what lies ahead for them on Monday, Nov. 9 at 11am during the NCAA Selection Show.