Eagles Split Pair of Matches

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Juniata men's volleyball hosted a pair of matches on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium. In their first match of the day, the Eagles fell to Marymount (Va.) 3-1 (15-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-23). JC rebounded in its second match as they knocked off Wells 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-21, 25-20).

Against the Express, Kyle Seeley (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) put up 20 kills and also had five service aces to lead Juniata. Matt Vasinko (Loyalhanna, Pa./Derry Area) had a team-high .545 hitting percentage to go along with 13 kills and seven digs. Ryan Shelton (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Baldwinsville) totaled 46 assists.

JC fell behind 5-3 and 10-9 early in the first set. The Eagles quickly recovered as they went ahead 14-11. Their lead grew to 18-13 but the Express kept pace as they narrowed the score to 20-18. JC outscored Wells 5-2 down the stretch to come out with the win and lead the match 1-0.

The two teams were fairly even early on in the second set. With the score tied at 10-10, Wells put up four straight points to go up 14-10. The lead grew to as much as 18-12. Juniata was able to close the gap with a kill from Jake Dube (Altamont, N.Y./Guilderland) and back-back- service aces from Seeley got JC to 18-15. A 7-3 run by the Express, however, powered Wells to win the set 25-18 and even the match at 1-1.

The Eagles responded with an 8-3 run to open the third set. The Express fought back to within two points of tying the match but Juniata extended its advantage to 13-8. The lead grew to as much as 16-10 and 20-14. Wells got to within three points four times but with the Eagles holding a 24-21 lead, Vasinko won it for Juniata on a kill.

In the fourth set, the Express got up as much as 9-6. The lead favored Wells 15-13 but a 6-4 JC run tied the frame at 19-all. The Eagles would outscore the Express 6-2 to take the set and match.

Against the Lions earlier in the day, Chad Albert (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) paced the offense with 10 kills and also tacked on three assisted blocks. Seeley put up nine kills and four assisted blocks. Shelton had 35 assists. Brendan Smith (Fuquay-Varina, N.C./Fuquay-Varina) led the defense with 12 digs.

The Saints went up 2-0 in the match. In the third set, Juniata trailed early on 6-5 but rallied to go up 8-6. Marymount came back to tie the set at 8-8 but JC went ahead 11-8. A 7-3 Eagle run gave JC an 18-11 advantage. Marymount could only get as close as five points as the Blue and Gold kept the offensive pressure on and won 25-17.

The fourth set was knotted at 9-9 but the Eagles rattled off five straight points to lead 14-9. The lead began to dwindle as the Saints caught up but Juniata still led late in the match. It was a tight match as the two team traded points. The match was tied 23-23 but the Saints got points on a kill and an attack error to win the set and match.

The Eagles' record stands at 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Continental Volleyball Conference. Juniata travels to Greenville, Pa. for a match with CVC rival Thiel on Tuesday. Start time will be at 7:00 p.m.