LEXINGTON, Va.- The Juniata men's volleyball team fought off #14 Rutgers-Newark in a competitive four-set victory (25-18, 27-25, 21-25, 25-23) to claim the program's fourth Continental Volleyball Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon at the campus of Washington and Lee.
Kevin Duffy III delivered a team-high .386 hitting percentage (among hitters) with 13 kills in the night with a solo block and a block assists. Max Cooley posted a .304 hitting percentage with nine kills and a team-high four aces on the night. Tyler Goldsborough also delivered a strong performance with a .286 hitting percentage and 11 kills while also leading the side with 11 digs. Luke Hoffman had a quieter night offensively but totaled a team-high seven blocks, all block assists. It's the most he's had in a single match this season.
Austin Goodsel collected 24 assists through the first two and a half sets before having to step aside with a head injury, while Reese Ganter went the rest of the way as setter with 14 in the final set and a half.
Juniata started the match with their most efficient offensive performance of the night in set one, carrying a .444 hitting percentage, while the Scarlet Raiders had a match-low .067 hitting percentage with a match-high nine attack errors. Rutgers stayed close early, down 5-4 initially, but a four-point run for Juniata off a service error, attack error, Hunker kill, and a Hunker-Hoffman block got Juniata up 9-4. That was an advantage that the Eagles were able to manage to the finish, with Newark only getting within three at 15-12 before Juniata eventually claimed the set 25-18.
Juniata again found an early lead in the second set before the Scarlet Raiders pushed back through the middle stages and forced Juniata all the way to 27-25 for the Eagles' second set win of the night. The Eagles made use of a 7-1 run early on that got them ahead 12-6, and the sides consistently traded points up to a 16-10 scoreline. Rutgers then put together a 6-1 strong that included two kills, two Juniata attack errors, an ace, and a kill to get back within one. Juniata called timeout at this point.
Newark returned to claim the next two points to reclaim the lead at 17-18, then Juniata followed with a 3-1 trek that included two Hunker kills for a 20-19 advantage. Newark got the next two points on a kill and a point, and the sides traded points, with the Scarlet Raiders reaching set point at 24-25. Juniata got the next three on a Rutgers error, Duffy Kill, and a Scarlet Raiders attack right into the block from Goodsel and Hoffman as Juniata claimed the second set.
Set three saw the inverse of what happened in set one, as the Scarlet Raiders built out a lead in the early moments of the set, and they were able to maintain their modest lead to set point. They found themselves up 6-2; then the Eagles strung together three on a service error, Duffy kill, and attack error. The sides traded points for a bit, but a 1-6 run for Rutgers with three kills and two aces got them back out to a 9-15 advantage.
Juniata then claimed five of the next six points to get back to 14-16, followed by Newark doing the same to go back ahead 15-21. Goldsborough claimed a kill and a block in a 6-1 rally that got Juniata to a one-point deficit at 22-23 before dropping the next two points to send the match to the fourth.
Juniata went .314 with 16 kills in a tight fourth set that they claimed 25-23 to secure a fourth CVC Championship for the program. Three-straight points from a Cooley kill, a Duffy kill, and a Scarlet Raiders attack error put Juniata ahead 6-2 early. Newark soon shifted momentum their way with a 2-8 stretch where they collected five kills to go ahead 9-11. The teams traded possession a few times before going back ahead on a five-point run that saw back-to-back Cooley kills and a couple of Duffy kills via poor Rutgers sets off Cooley's serves. That stretch put Juniata ahead 18-15.
The sides traded points several times, but Newark found life with three-consecutive points to level the scoreline at 22 all. Cooley kept his hot streak going with back-to-back kills to take the match to championship point. Newark called timeout, followed by a service error from Juniata on the return for a 24-23 score. Juniata called timeout and returned with yet another Cooley kill on the left side to wrap up the match.
Tonight's match point to seal a fourth CVC Championship for Juniata Men's Volleyball ��������#WingsUp #GoEagles #TakingFlight pic.twitter.com/eDi7BaiC9H
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) April 15, 2023
Kevin Duffy III was named the CVC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He joined Jeremiah Burden and Max Cooley on the All-Tournament Team.
The championship marks Juniata's first CVC tournament since 2017, and the securing of an NCAA Tournament automatic qualification in tonight's match gets them into the tournament for the first time since 2017. The win is the 29th of the season, which stands as the most in a single season in program history. The Eagles' current 14-match win streak equals the program's longest win streak, set to open the 2023 season.
The Juniata men's volleyball team waits until Monday to find out where and who they will play in the first round of the NCAA DIII Men's Volleyball Tournament. Next weekend's regionals will see the round of 16 and round of eight matches played.
