HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The #3 Juniata men's volleyball team got their 10th straight win as they swept Rutgers-Newark, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-19) Saturday afternoon inside Memorial Gymnasium.
The Scarlet Raiders came out strong as they built a lead early in the set, 10-14. Kills from the middle by Kevin Duffy III and Luke Hoffman, another by Tyler Goldsborough, a block by Hoffman and Reese Ganter, an ace from Drew Hunker, and an attack error by the visitors put Juniata up by 16-14. JC held the narrow lead the rest of the way, with Rutgers Newark scoring their final point of the set at 21-23 on a service error. A dump by Ganter gave the Eagles set point, and Goldsborough ended set one with a kill, 25-21.
Set two saw the Scarlet Raider offense find a rhythm as they hit .412 with 18 kills, which led to a tight set as neither team led by more than three at any point. Trailing by one at 18-19, a service error and a pair of Goldsborough kills pushed the Eagles ahead, 21-19. Rutgers-Newark managed to tie things at 22, but the Eagles once again finished strong. Duffy put down a kill, Maxwell Barr and Hoffman combined for a block, and a Scarlet Raider attack error ended set two, 25-22.
The Juniata attack was unstoppable in the third, as they hit .731 with 20 kills on their way to a 25-19 win to take set three and the match.
Duffy totaled ten kills (.714) with two block assists. Hoffman amassed seven kills (.700) with three block assists, while Goldsborough tallied ten kills (.353) with two assists, five digs, and a block assist. Ganter contributed 38 assists, seven digs, a solo block, and two block assists. Barr added seven kills (.545) with two assists, two digs, and a block assist.
Before the start of the match, we took a moment to recognize the 25th anniversary of the 1998 team that won the program's first Molten Division III Championship.
The team also took a moment to recognize the officials for the match: Douglas Farabaugh, Jim Papale, Timothy Rough, and Alex Sadley. This week is American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) men's and boys' Volleyball Official Appreciation Week.
Juniata sits at 25-2, and next Saturday, will close the regular season with a pair of games. They will host Elmira (1:00) and Drew (5:00), with Senior Day festivities occurring prior to the Drew match.
