HUNTINGDON, Pa. – It's been nearly two weeks since the Juniata College men's volleyball team swept UC Santa Cruz (3-0) to win the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Tournament and the Eagles have not let up. Winning the program's first CVC championship also secured its first NCAA Tournament berth. As one of the final eight teams selected, No. 8 Juniata travels to Rochester, N.Y. to play in the national quarterfinal against No. 15 Rivier University on Friday, April 26 at 8 p.m.
"We're excited," said head coach Kevin Moore. "We're really looking forward to the opportunity to see what the tournament experience is like. And at the same time, we're going up there with the goal of winning three matches and capturing a national championship. Been working in the gym each day just trying to get a little better."
Moore, a 2002 Juniata grad, is a two-time conference coach of the year that has led the Eagles to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in program history. In his three seasons as head coach, the Eagles have amassed a 70-34 overall record and are 22-2 in conference play.
Juniata (24-11) has won six of its last seven matches and is currently riding a six-match win streak against Division III opponents. They come into the match ranked fourth nationally in assists per set and blocks per set as a team. They are also ranked sixth in hitting percentage and kills per set and 11th in match win-loss percentage.
The Eagles are a young team with depth this season. There are no seniors on the roster and only one junior starter. Their attack is based around sophomores Joe Bortak (Jeannette, Pa./Penn Trafford), Paul Kuhn (York, Pa./Central York) and Alex McColgin (Buffalo, N.Y./Hamburg). Along with junior Ross Madden (Richmond, Va./Deep Run), the group leads the team in kills and service aces.
Moore is optimistic about his young team's prospects in the tournament. "I've seen an increased confidence," he said. "We came back and had our first few practices after capturing the conference championship you could see that there was a confidence and an eagerness in the gym that we really hadn't seen all year. They had a new goal in mind. They weren't just satisfied with winning the conference championship and going to the tournament. They came in and really worked the past few days in practice to get better. To prepare us to compete for a championship."
Bortak, a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America team selection, is ranked fifth nationally in hitting percentage and 25th in blocks per set. He, Kuhn and Madden each earned All-CVC East Division honors this past season. Kuhn also earned AVCA All-America honors for the first time in his career after leading the team in service aces and finishing third in digs.
McColgin is the Eagles kill leader. He is ranked nationally in kills per set, hitting percentage and points per set. The 6-4 outside hitter matched his kill totals from his freshman year after sitting out 2012 with an injury that he suffered in the first match of the season.
Orchestrating the balanced attack from these hitters is freshman setter Matt Elias (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn). The CVC Tournament MVP was also named conference freshman of the year. He took over duties in the 5-1 offense halfway through the season and has stepped up to the responsibility. Elias is ranked nationally in assists per set and recorded a career-high 57 assists in the Eagles semifinal win over No. 4 Carthage in the CVC tournament.
This is the first time the Eagles have faced Rivier in the programs 23 year existence. The Raiders are 26-11 this year and won the Great Northeast Atlantic Conference tournament for the sixth straight year to earn their spot at NCAA's.
Rivier will rely on its two-time All-American Aaron Almario to matchup against Bortak. The 6-7 middle hitter is ranked third nationally in blocks per set and 17th in hitting percentage. As a team, the Raiders lead the nation in blocks per set and are ranked top 10 in hitting percentage, kills per set, match win-loss percentage and assists per set.
"I think it will be a tight battle," added Moore. "We rely heavily on our middles for offensive production, to be a force at the net blocking. Rivier has two very talented middles who will match up with ours physically, they're both 6-7 and very athletic. I anticipate you'll see two very similar styles of volleyball when the teams match up. It should be a close contest."
If the Eagles win, they will play the winner between UC Santa Cruz and host Nazareth College on Saturday, April 27 at 6 p.m. The National Championship match will be held on Sunday, April 28 at 4 p.m.
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