HUNTINGDON, PA – The Juniata women's volleyball team opened up their NCAA Division III Huntingdon, Pa. Regional competition with a dominating 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-11) victory over Franciscan Friday night. 

In the postgame press conference, the Eagles echoed that the win was "a complete team effort". 

Juniata used its depth as an advantage and kept repititions low for many athletes. 

"Regionals tend to be a thing of attrition, so any time you get the opportunity to keep swings down for some people, that's a good thing," head coach Heather Pavlik said. "I definitely applaud the people that came in and helped us out tonight because they did a great job." 

Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, PA / Upper Saint Clair) noted that she was impressed with the freshmen's play in their first NCAA Tournament.

"It was a good match for them to just get the nerves out," Reynolds said. "This can be really nerve-racking and I think they did a great job."

Reynolds finished the match with 23 assists, one service ace and one block assist. The Eagles totaled seven aces on the night.

"We serve tough," Pavlik said. "It's a part of our game that is a strength for sure. We want them to be aggressive and go for it. They did that tonight." 

Katie Byrne (Annapolis, MD / Broadneck) finished the match with three aces, including back-to-back aces to wrap up set two for Juniata. Byrne also centered the defensive effort with 12 digs. 

Another freshman standing out in the match against the Barons was Glen Brumm (Oro Valley, AZ / Canyon Del Oro). Brumm finished the match with three kills, two service aces and 11 digs. 

Megan Moroney (Mentor, OH / Mentor) recorded nine kills on 16 attacks for a .500 hitting percentage. Brittanie Tannenbaum (Highlands Ranch, CO / Highlands Ranch) hit .600 with three kills while picking up a solo block.

"I think it was a good start to the playoff run," Moroney said. "We came out and got it done as a team."

Christine Irwin (State College, PA / State College), Mar-Jana Phillips (Carson, CA / Rolling Hills Preparatory and Nakita Gearhart (Waynesboro, PA / Greencastle-Antrim) each picked up four kills. Irwin led the group with a .364 hitting percentage.

The Eagles will rest up and prepare for the Spartans from Case Western Reserve in the Second Round of Regional competition. The match is scheduled to begin at 6pm Saturday, Nov. 14.