OWINGS MILLS, Md.- The #12 Juniata men's volleyball team lost on the road at #14 Stevenson University, 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 19-25, 22-25), Wednesday evening inside Owings Mills Gymnasium)
The match started well for Juniata, with a dominant 25-17 victory in the first set while hitting .387 as a team in the set. Strong service runs from Luke Hoffman (Reading, Pa. / Exeter Township) and Tyler Goldsborough (Reading, Pa. / Exeter Township) propelled them in that set, with Goldsborough going on to finish with a game-high 16 kills, while Hoffman added 11. Kevin Duffy III (Carlisle, Pa. / Carlisle) would be the other Eagle to finish with double-digit kills, having 12 on a stellar .562 hitting percentage. Reese Ganter (Reading, Pa. / Exeter Township) facilitated almost all of the offense, having 46 of the team's 48 total assists and a team-leading nine digs.
Blocking would be one of the key differentiators that allowed Stevenson to claim the remaining sets, with the Mustangs out-blocking the Eagles 25-15. The second set was a tougher affair for Juniata, with the Eagles hitting percentage dropping significantly and Stevenson leading by as many as nine points during the set before ultimately pulling out the 25-22 set victory to even the game score. The third set was much more closely contested, with four being the largest lead for either team for the majority of the set. The teams arrived at a 19-19 tied score before Stevenson took control, going on a six-point run to claim the third set and 2-1 set lead.
This would take the wind out of Juniata's sails, with the Eagles only leading in the fourth set coming on the first point. Stevenson quickly reclaimed the lead and extended it to four-point gaps at multiple times during the set. Juniata attempted a comeback late in the set, bringing themselves within one point down 23-22, but a kill followed by an unreturned serve gave Stevenson the 25-22 victory and ended the game.
Juniata will now turn their attention toward the remainder of their schedule, which includes three matches against CVC opponents, one of which is #9 ranked Marymount. The Eagles' next match comes in the form of a home doubleheader against Hiram College on Saturday, March 12th.
