Eagles Rise Above Highlanders

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata men's volleyball team dispatched Cairn, 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-15), Saturday evening at Memorial Gymnasium.

Joe Fick (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) recorded six kills, eight digs, and one solo block, hitting .556. Mahlon Bender (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) totaled six kills and two block assists. Matt Vasinko (Loyalhanna, Pa./Derry Area) had five kills while Quinn Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge) and David Hibner (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock Secondary) each put up four. Matt Schaeffer (Mount Wolf, Pa./Northeastern) tallied 27 assists and five service aces.

The first set saw the two teams trade points back and forth early on before the Eagles opened a 13-6 lead after kills from Peterson, Hibner, and Fick. JC continued to surge ahead with a 5-0 run after several Highlanders errors, putting the Eagles up 23-9. Kills from Bender and Vasinko gave JC the set, 25-10.

The second set opened with neither team able to gain much of an edge as neither led by more than two early on. An attack error followed by a Fick kill put the Eagles back in the driver's seat as JC went on a six-point run, gaining a 13-8 advantage and forcing a Highlander timeout. Cairn attempted to battle back after a Schaeffer service ace, but the Eagles continued to cruise ahead, ultimately taking the set 25-15 off two Theodore Weinberger (Santa Clara, Calif./Adrian C. Wilcox HS) service aces.

Four attack errors alongside a Weinberger kill gave the Eagles a 5-0 advantage to start off the third and final set of the match. The Eagles were too much for the Highlanders to contend with as JC's advantage grew to 19-7. Cairn tried to close the gap but was unable to get closer than eight as a block by William Hafen (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) on the left side sealed the match at 25-15.

The Eagles travel to Kean, March 2, at 7:00pm.