Eagles Rally Past #13 SUNY New Paltz in Five to Open Kevin Pratte Invitational

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata men's volleyball team knocked off #13 SUNY New Paltz, 3–2, on Thursday night in the opening match of the Kevin Pratte Invitational at Memorial Gymnasium.

The Eagles stayed unbeaten at 6-0 with the five-set win, outlasting the Hawks 25-22, 26-24, 18-25, 19-25, 15-12 in front of a lively home crowd.

Juniata controlled the early momentum, taking the first two sets. SUNY New Paltz answered with its best offensive stretch in sets three and four, evening the match and forcing a decisive fifth frame.

In the final set, the Eagles steadied themselves offensively and closed the door late, hitting .385 in the fifth to secure the comeback victory.

Octavian Sperry led all players with 21 kills while hitting .333, anchoring the Juniata offense throughout the night. Chase Robbins chipped in seven kills on .385 hitting, and Dante Palombo added seven kills with three total blocks. Setter Will Sierer directed the attack with 48 assists, while Andrew Byrne paced the defense with 11 digs. Juniata finished with 12 team blocks and forced SUNY New Paltz into 23 service errors.

The match opened a busy weekend for the Eagles, who are hosting the Kevin Pratte Invitational at Juniata College. Juniata returns to the court Saturday with two more matches, facing Widener at 11 a.m. before closing the tournament against Hobart at 1:30 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.