HUNTINGDON, PA – The Juniata women's volleyball team continued their dominance in the Landmark Conference in 2015 as they won their ninth straight conference title and made their 35th straight NCAA tournament appearance. The Eagles hosted an NCAA Tournament Regional and were defeated by eventual National Runner-Up Wittenberg 3-1 in the finals.
All the pieces are in place for another conference title and 36th NCAA Tournament qualification this season. Juniata returns a solid veteran group in 2016 led by senior, Landmark Conference Player of the Year, and AVCA First Teamer Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, Pa./Upper Saint Clair). Reynolds totaled 1,229 assists and averaged just over 11 assists per set a year ago for JC.
Fellow seniors Nakita Gearhart (Waynesboro, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) and Mar-Jana Phillips (Carson, Calif./Rolling Hills Prep) also return. Gearhart was the MVP of the Landmark Tournament for the second straight year. She was First Team All-Region and an AVCA Third Teamer. Phillips was named to the Landmark Second Team. Junior Megan Moroney (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) led the Eagles in total blocks (93) and kills (329) and is primed to enjoy another stellar year. Sophomore Katie Byrne (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck), last year's Landmark Rookie of the Year, will look to build on her impressive freshman year as her 46 service aces and 538 digs were a team high.
This year's freshman class of Rachel Boe (San Carlos, Calif./Saint Francis), Deija Danhi (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge), Korin Koehler (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall), Megan Conger (Rockville, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel), and Morgan Edwards (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor) will all be expected to make contributions throughout the season. "There isn't a single position on our floor that we don't have competition in," said head coach Heather Pavlik, who enters her sixth season at the helm of the program. "That should make everybody better. Those freshmen right now have had a pretty steep learning curve. They are picking up really quickly."
Motivation for this team is not difficult to come by. "A big thing for us that we talk about every day in practice is the idea of being process oriented instead of results oriented," stated Pavlik. "Each and every day is an opportunity to get better. Nobody stays the same from day to day."
The Eagles were ranked third in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll. Juniata plays seven teams this season that were ranked in the poll. "The best way to prepare for teams at the end of the year is to play them though the year," noted Pavlik. "I don't think we have ever been afraid of competition. We will play anybody, anytime, any place."
Juniata will expect to receive a tougher battle in the Landmark Conference. Susquehanna gave the Eagles a scare in the Landmark Championship match last year. SU was one point away from taking the match and pulling off the upset before JC rallied to win the fifth set and take the title. Pavlik was not shy to give praise to the opponent "I think Susquehanna has got a really nice team," she said. "I thought in the conference championship they played extremely well. Kudos to them. I think they were well prepared and played well. Some of our conference members are doing the right thing and playing really good schedules which has been a change than in the years past. That should be a motivator for us."
The Eagles begin their 2016 season this weekend as they will travel to Potsdam, N.Y. to participate in the Clarkson Invitational. Juniata plays Roger Williams and Brockport on Friday. Matches with the Golden Knights and Ithaca follow on Saturday.
