HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The #9 Juniata women's volleyball team dominated Susquehanna in the Landmark Tournament Semifinals Wednesday evening inside a lively Memorial Gymnasium.
The opening set started off tight, with the River Hawks leading by one at 4-5. Juniata found their way as they rattled off eight straight points. The River Hawks committed a service error, Olivia Foley (Coldwater, Mich / Coldwater HS), Mackenzie Coley (Norco, Calif. / Norco HS), and Victoria Taylor (Middletown, Del. / Delaware Military Academy) all tallied kills before SU committed another error. They called timeout to try and regroup, but to no avail. Taylor added two more kills on top of two more errors for the visitors to make it 13-5. The Eagles cruised the rest of the set, eventually winning on a setting error, 25-13.
Eagles take set one...check out Erskine's block! #WingsUp #TakingFlight #GoEalges @JuniataWVB pic.twitter.com/b9IfYHlLi7
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) November 3, 2021
The second set was much tighter, with the Eagles fending off the River Hawks advances until managing to create some separation late. SU got within one at 13-12, before a ball handling error and kills from Grace Erskine (Mooresville, N.C. / Community School of Davidson) and Kennedy Christy (Saxonburg, Pa. / Knoch HS) made it 16-12. The teams traded points with a Coley kill and SU error, making it 22-17. The Eagles wound up winning on a Lily Podolan (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington Kilbourne) kill, 25-19.
Podolan with the kill for the win in set two! #TakingFlight #WingsUp #GoEagles pic.twitter.com/sY1nnBlcbl
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) November 3, 2021
Juniata hit a match-high .378 as they took control early in the third set to get the win. With the score at 12-7, Podolan tallied three straight kills, the River Hawks committed two errors, and Christy put down a kill, and Kiona Sky Rousset-Hernandez (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico / Colegio Bautista de Carolina HS) served up an ace to make it 18-7. The Eagles won the match on a kill from Taylor, 25-12.
The Eagles advance to the Landmark Tournament Championship, where they will take on the University of Scranton, who defeated Elizabethtown in the other semifinal this evening.
Juniata will be looking to win their 14th Landmark Championship and their 40th conference championship overall.
Juniata will host the University of Scranton on Saturday at 7:00 pm.
