Ducks Dispose of Eagles

Huntingdon, Pa.- The Juniata men's volleyball team was swept by #2 Stevens, 3-0 (31-29, 25-19,25-19) Saturday morning at Memorial Gymnasium.

Quinn Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge) had nine kills and a solo block, Matt Vasinko (Loyalhanna, Pa./Derry Area) had seven kills and four digs while Mahlon Bender (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) had six kills.

The first set opened with the Ducks going up 3-7, before kills from Chris Heron (Las Vegas, Nev./Arbor View) and Peterson along with a Stevens attack error made it 6-7. The Ducks went ahead again as the teams traded runs, with Juniata trailing between three to five points. With the score at 16-20, two kills from Bender and two Stevens attack errors made it 20-20. The Ducks got to set point at 22-24, before kills from David Hibner (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock Secondary) and Vasinko along with a block by Vasinko gave the Eagles set point, 26-25. The Eagles fought off set point four times from that point until the Ducks eventually won the first set, 29-31.

The second set was a continuation of the first, with the Eagles taking a 10-7 lead early. Five points from the Ducks gave them the lead back at 10-12. The teams remained close as there were four ties over the next several points. With the score at 17-18, the Ducks went on a 7-0 run to push ahead 24-17. The Eagles managed to take the next two points, but the Ducks prevailed 25-19. 

The Eagles took an early 5-2 lead in the third set behind kills from Vasinko and Stephen Ash (Elk Grove, Calif./Cosumnes Oaks), but the Ducks retook the lead for good at 9-10. JC evened the score three more times, but couldn't retake the lead. With the score at 18-20, the ducks took six of the last seven points to close the match.

Juniata returns to action Tuesday at Theil at 7:00 p.m.