BUENA VISTA, VA.- The Juniata men's volleyball team came up just short on the road at reigning Continental Volleyball Conference Champion Southern Virginia, 3-2 (19-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-22, 10-15), Friday evening inside a loud Knight Arena. 

Set one saw the Knights take advantage of some early Eagle service errors as they led 7-9 before a 4-0 surge put them ahead by six. Juniata was never able to recover as the Knights also had their best hitting performance of the match in the opening set, .435, as they took set one 19-25.  

Set two saw the Eagles respond with their strongest set in terms of hitting percentage with a scintillating .619. With the score at 12-13, kills from Robert Bowling (Columbus, Ohio / Hilliard Darby) and Kevin Duffy (Carlisle, Pa. / Carlisle HS) along with an ace from Austin Goodsel (Corry, Pa. / Fort Leboeuf HS) and a Southern Virginia attack error made it 16-13. The Knights got within one, 17-16, but the Eagles closed the set on an 8-2 run to tie the match at one set apiece.  

Southern Virginia scored the first four points of the set as JC was in an early hole. Juniata wound up to get within one at 5-6 and following a back and forth back within one at 7-6, but they never managed to pull even as the Knights wound up taking set four, 19-25.  

Juniata jumped out to a 6-2 lead with kills from Sean Cavanagh (Cranberry Twp., Pa. / Seneca Valley), Duffy, and Bowling to go with errors by the hosts. The Eagles led 10-6 before the Knights responded with an 8-2 surge to pull ahead 12-14. A 4-0 response from JC, with a service error followed by a block by David Hibner (Burke, Va. / Lake Braddock Secondary) and two aces from Cavanagh put Juniata back ahead. It was back and forth down the stretch as the Knights didn't go away, getting within one several times, with the last time at 23-22. A kill from Bowling gave Juniata set point, and a Knight attack error sent the match to a fifth set. 

The Knights opened with a 2-7 lead to start the fifth, but the Eagles managed to dig out of the hole to get back within one via three straight errors from the Knights and a Bowling kill to make it 6-7. Juniata committed two errors before a Bowling kill and ace brought them back within one again at 8-9, but the Eagles only scored two more times as the Knights went on to take set five, 10-15.  

Juniata will take on Eastern Mennonite, Saturday at 1:00.