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#1 Men's Volleyball Cruises Past Lions as Joe Chambers Breaks Program Record for Aces in a Match

#1 Men's Volleyball Cruises Past Lions as Joe Chambers Breaks Program Record for Aces in a Match

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The #1 Juniata men's volleyball team cruised past visiting Penn State Altoona on day one of the Eagle Invitational 3-0 (25-10, 25-20, 25-9), Friday evening inside Memorial Gymnasium. 

The Eagles opened the set taking 12 of the first 13 points as Drew Hunker led the way with five kills while Grant Lorelli and Joseph Chambers added an ace apiece, and PS-Altoona committed four errors. Logan Constable added a solo block during the run. Juniata sailed through the rest of the set, taking set one on a service error. Juniata hit .526 in the opening set with 11 kills and held PS-Altoona to -.048. The set featured two Chambers aces. 

The second set saw PS-Altoona take the opening three points before the Eagles got on the board via a block from Chambers and Hunker. Kills from Hunker and Constable, along with a Lion error and two more Chambers aces, put the Eagles ahead 9-4. The visitors managed to hang around, closing within three at 21-18. An error and an ace from Constable pushed the lead back to five, and the teams traded points the rest of the way, with a block from Tyler Phillips and Chambers giving JC set point. Two points later, Phillips ended the set with an ace, 25-20. Chambers had three aces in the second set. 

The third set saw the Eagles take 16 of the first 18 points as they took complete control early and never let up. Hunker tallied three aces during the run; Chambers added two, and Lorelli had one of his own. Late in the set, Chambers added two aces, with the first tying the record before his ninth of the match made it 24-8, broke the program record for aces in a match, and pushed the Eagles to match point. Jalen Denson ended the match with a kill to keep the Eagles unbeaten on the year. 

Chambers broke Ryan Genova's record of eight aces against New Jersey Institute of Technology back in 2002. The team's 16 aces are the most since their 3-0 victory over Elizabethtown in the 2019 season. 

Juniata will take on Continental Volleyball rival Southern Virginia tomorrow at 1:00.