BRIDGEWATER, Va.- The #3 Juniata women's volleyball team pushed their winning streak to 13 with a pair of victories over Randolph-Macon and Bridgewater at the Bridgewater Invitational inside Nininger Hall Saturday afternoon.
The opening set against the Yellow Jackets was back and forth early, as the teams were even at 6-6. A solo block from Courtney Williams, another from her and Audrey Muth, a solo block from Lily Podolan followed by kills from her and Muth, another Williams solo block, and one more kill from Muth had JC up 13-6. RMC got back within three, but an error and kills from Kennedy Christy and Mackenzie Coley pushed the lead back to six. RMC never got closer than five the rest of the set, and a Podolan kill ended set one 25-16.
Set two followed a similar script as the Eagles blew the match up with the score at 11-11. Two kills from Christy, one from Podolan, a solo block from Coley, and three Yellow Jacket errors made it 18-11. Juniata cruised from there, winning on an attack error 25-18.
The third set saw the Eagles in danger of playing a fourth as they trailed by five at 14-19 and by two at 21-23. A kill from Williams, two straight from Podolan, gave JC match point, and they won on a bad set, 25-23.
In the opening set of match two, the Eagles used an 11-1 run early to take control. The hosts managed to get within three, but Juniata took set one, 25-19.
In the second set, trailing 12-14, JC got a kill from Muth, an ace from Lacie Brown, a block from Williams, and two errors from Bridgewater to go up 17-14. The teams traded points to get to 19-17, but from there, the Eagles closed shop as they scored the final six points of the set to win, 25-17.
The third set saw Juniata steadily build their lead, and with the score at 15-10, they rattled off six straight with two kills from Christy and one from Podolan, a block from Coley, another from her and Abbey Telesz and an ace from McKenna Walker. JC wound up taking the set and the match, 25-16, on a Williams solo block.
Juniata will return to action at home Friday, October 21st, against Carnegie Mellon in the Wid Guisler Invitational.
