NEW Paltz, NY.- The #5 Juniata men's volleyball team wrapped up the regular season with a pair of wins as they defeated Baruch 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) and #17 SUNY New Paltz 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19,15-13) Saturday afternoon on the campus of SUNY New Paltz.
Tyler Phillips (Long Island, N.Y. / Walt Whitman HS) tallied 10 kills (.556), two aces, and four blocks, while Juan Armando (San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic / Liceo Gastón Fernando Deligne) totaled 11 kills (.529) with three digs and a block assist. Dante Palombo (Shaler, Pa. / Shaler Area HS) added nine kills (.818) and two blocks. Will Sierer (Hummelstown, Pa. / Lower Dauphin HS) had 23 assists, two aces, and two digs, while Grant Lorelli (Lancaster, Pa. / Hempfield HS) contributed 12 assists, a kill, and a dig.
In the first set against the Bearcats, the Eagles built up a four-point lead and nursed it the rest of the way to win 25-20.
In set two, the Bearcats tied things at 17-17, before the Eagles slammed the door shut with an 8-2 run to take set two 25-19.
The Eagles finished strong to end the match, ending on a 5-1 run capped by a Phillips kill, 25-20.
Set one against the Hawks, the Eagles used a 5-0 run that featured three Armando kills, an ace from Phillips, and a block by Lorelli and Hoffman to make it 20-13. Juniata eventually won on an Armando kill 25-20.
The Hawks stole the second set as Juniata, with the score 22-18, found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-1 run that ended set two 23-25.
New Paltz carried their late-game chutzpah in the third set. With the score at 18-18, the Hawks closed on a 7-1 run to take set three 19-25.
A 6-1 run midway through the fourth gave Juniata enough breathing space as they nursed their lead the rest of the way to force a fifth set, 25-19.
The fifth set was a battle, with neither team scoring more than two consecutive points most of the way. Leading 9-8, the Eagles got a kill from Octavian Sperry and a Hawk attack error to push their advantage to three. The Hawks tried to make another late set move, scoring four straight to recapture the lead at 11-12. Armando and Sperry notched kills, and Sierer served up a timely ace to give JC a match point. New Paltz fought it off once before Palombo smashed a kill down, as the Eagles took set three and the match, 15-13.
This marks head coach Glenn DeHaven's 200th career win at Juniata and 332nd overall.
Juniata wraps the regular season at 28-3 and will be seeded second in the Continental Volleyball Conference Playoffs.
