Eagles' Season Ends With 3-0 Defeat to #7 Stevenson in CVC Semis

OWING MILLS, Md.- With the opportunity to advance to the championship match on the line, the Juniata men's volleyball team first had the task of taking on #7 Stevenson in the Continental Volleyball Conference semifinals on Friday night. The Mustangs easily took the first two sets but JC gave them a fight in the third as Stevenson ultimately won 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 26-24).

The Mustangs jumped ahead 5-0 in the first set. The lead stood at 13-7 in Stevenson's favor until it scored five straight points to go up 18-7 and cruise to the set win.

The second frame was tied at 4-4 before the Mustangs ripped off five straight points to go ahead 9-4. The lead was still four points at 12-8 but once again a big Stevenson run, this time 5-0, increased the advantage to 17-8 as the Mustangs won the stanza by the same score.

Juniata showed some life in the third set as it went ahead 5-1 at the onset. The Mustangs were able to cut into the lead and tied the set four times. The Eagles were able to stay one step ahead and increased their lead to 20-16. JC still was ahead 23-20 and was one point away from taking the set at 24-23. The Mustangs proved to be too much in the end as Patrick Schuyler picked up back-to-back kills and Jason Gardner won it on a service ace.

Kyle Seeley (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) led the JC offense with eight kills while Matt Vasinko (Loyalhanna, Pa./Derry Area) and Quinn Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge) both added six kills. Ryan Shelton (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Baldwinsville) tallied 22 assists and seven digs in his final match in an Eagle uniform. Juniata was held to a .123 hitting percentage while Stevenson had a .425 attack percentage.

Juniata ends its season with a final record of 10-16.