Men's Volleyball Sweeps #12 Saints and Mighty Macs, Take Sole Possession of Third Place in CVC

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The #14 Juniata men's volleyball team picked up a pair of CVC victories as they dismantled Immaculata 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-13) before sweeping #12 Marymount 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-23), Saturday afternoon inside Memorial Gymnasium. 

In the match against Immaculata, Campbell Gerdeman (Carlsbad, Calif. / Sage Creek HS) led the way with 13 kills while hitting .550 to go with a service and two digs. Joseph Chambers (West Hempstead, N.Y. / West Hempstead HS) tallied seven kills while hitting .417 with two aces, while Logan Constable (West Chester, Pa. / B. Reed Henderson HS) tallied five kills while hitting .833 along with a service and a block assist. Drew Hunker (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny HS) added eight kills, a service ace, two digs, and a block assist. Reese Ganter (Reading, Pa. / Exeter Township HS) amassed 20 assists with five digs, while Grant Lorelli (Lancaster, Pa. / Hempfield HS) added 12 assists, a service ace, and two digs.  

The Eagles held Immaculata to a negative hitting percentage overall in the match -0.31, while they hit .373 as a team.  

In the match with Marymount, the opening set was tight, with the Eagles building an early five-point lead, but the Saints chipped away at it throughout. A 5-2 run from the visitors late in the set saw them go up 18-20. A kill from Kevin Duffy III (Carlisle, Pa. / Carlisle HS) followed by a Luke Hoffman (Reading, Pa. / Exeter Township HS) kill and a service ace and a Saints attack error made it 22-20 Eagles. Marymount took the next point before the Eagles closed the match on a 3-0 surge, which included a Will Phelan (Saegertown, Pa. / Saegertown HS) kill and a bad set from the Saints to give JC set point. Tyler Goldsborough (Reading, Pa. / Exeter Township HS) ended the set with a big kill, 25-21. 

In the second set, the Eagles held a narrow lead most of the way as Marymount pulled within two several times, with the final time at 22-20. A kill from Phelan and a Saints attack error got the Eagles to set point again. Marymount managed to keep the set going for a point before Ganter put down one of his four kills to end the second set. 

The third set saw Marymount try the hardest to get the match to a fourth set, including a 7-1 run midway through the set that made it 16-18, but the Eagles didn't let up. JC made their move with the score at 21-22; JC made their move as Duffy got a kill from the middle, Phelan and Hoffman combined for a block, and Duffy put down another kill to get Juniata to match point. The teams traded errors, with a Marymount attack error ending the match at 25-23. 

The win moves the Eagles into third place, above Marymount, with a game in hand.  

Juniata will play at Elizabethtown Tuesday at 7:00.