Men's Volleyball Opens the Season with Two Wins
Team Stats
Hiram
| Game Statistics | Hiram | Juniata |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .047 | .493 |
| Blocks | 3.0 | 7.0 |
| Digs | 14 | 26 |
| Aces | 2 | 3 |
Chatham
| Game Statistics | Chatham | Juniata |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .000 | .390 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| Digs | 13 | 22 |
| Aces | 2 | 6 |
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata men's volleyball team picked up a pair of wins as they swept Hiram 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-17) in the morning and Chatham in the afternoon 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-17), Saturday afternoon in Memorial Gymnasium.
Chase Robbins had a match-high 12 kills (.500) in the opening match against Hiram, along with two aces and two digs. Luke Hoffman contributed nine kills (.667) with a dig, a solo block, and two block assists. Grant Lorelli (15 assists) and Will Sierer (21 assists) had the offense humming as the team hit .493 in the match.
In the first set, the Eagles jumped to an 8-3 lead early and used a 5-0 run late in the set to push their lead to 10, 22-12. The Eagles eventually won 25-15.
The Eagles soared out the gate on a 14-4 run in the second set and never looked back, with Robbins putting down a kill to end the second set, 25-12.
The Terriers hung around in the third set, with the JC advantage narrowed to three at 12-9. A kill from Juan Armando along with a kill and a solo block with Chris Mellor combined with a block by Lorelli and Hoffman pushed the lead to seven. Juniata cruised to a 25-17 win, with David Dziekonski putting down the final point.
Nathanael Brown had a match-high nine kills (.353) against Chatham with two aces, a dig, a solo block, and a block assist. Octavian Spencer added six kills and four digs, while Sierer had 12 assists, two aces, and three digs. Max Finkielstein added nine assists an ace, and three digs as the team hit .390.
The Eagles were on fire to open the first set against the Cougars, taking the first 11 points. Juniata eventually took set one on an attack error, 25-12.
Set two saw the Eagles take an early 7-2 lead and nurse it. Later, with the count at 17-10, JC rattled off six straight, with two consecutive Brown aces highlighting the run. A Cougar service error ended set two, 25-12.
In the third set, the Eagles found themselves behind 10-12 but closed the match on a 15-7 run as Dante Palombo ended the day with a kill.
Juniata returns to action against the University of Puerto Rico next Friday at 5:00 PM.