Eagles Tame Mules, Edge Blue Streaks to Get to 11-0
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The #1 Juniata women's volleyball team picked up a pair of wins as they defeated both Muhlenberg and John Carroll Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium.
In the opening set against Muhlenberg, with the score 12-10, two errors by the Mules, along with two Kennedy Christy kills, pushed the lead to six. The teams traded points for a bit prior to Mackenzie Coley and Courtney Williams tallying back-to-back kills, with a ball-handling error by the visitors putting JC up by seven. Juniata took set one 25-17 on another Coley kill.
The second set was one of runs, as Juniata jumped out to a 12-4 lead, but the Mules slowly got back into it, pulling within three at 18-15. The Eagles shut it down the rest of the way as they tallied ten straight points. Several errors by Muhlenberg, a block by Williams and Ava Gummer, and a kill from each of them put Juniata at set point. Abbey Telesz ended the set with an ace, 25-15.
Juniata took the first six points of set three, with Sydney Ohl serving three consecutive aces, and never looked back as they trotted to a 25-13 win to take the match.
Christy hit .455 with seven kills, six digs, and an ace, while Coley amassed eight kills (.353) with two block assists. Williams totaled five kills (.455) with three block assists. Olivia Foley had 15 assists, Telesz had 13 assists and four digs, and Lacie Brown added ten assists with five digs. Ohl tallied 18 digs and three aces. Mia Schubert added five kills, two aces, and 14 digs.
Set one against John Carroll saw the Eagles hold a 17-13 lead after an Audrey Muth kill. The Blue Streaks took advantage of several Juniata errors to take the following seven points to lead 17-20. JC fought valiantly, getting within one several times, with the final time on a Foley kill at 23-24. But an error ended set one, 23-25.
Set two, with the score at 9-9; the Eagles blitzed John Carroll with seven consecutive points that featured kills from Muth and Christy, a block by Lily Podolan and Coley, an ace from Christy, and a couple of Blue Streak errors. Juniata controlled things the rest of the way, taking the set's final five points as another Christy kill ended set two, 25-15.
Set three was a tense one, as it was tight for most of the back half of the set. John Carroll rattled off three straight to pull within one, 21-20, but the Eagles responded with a Podolan kill and an Ohl ace. The Blue Streaks put down a kill, Williams countered with one of her own, and a visitor attack error put JC at set point. The teams traded attack errors to end the set 25-21.
The Eagles cruised through the final set, hitting .429 and holding John Carroll to -.077 as they took the set and the match, 25-12.
Coley went for 17 kills (.533) with two block assists, while Muth totaled 16 kills (.361) with a dig and two block assists. Foley logged her sixth double-double of the year as she had 48 assists and 16 digs. Kiona Sky Rousset-Hernandez totaled 18 digs, six assists, and three aces, while Christy contributed 12 kills, three assists, three aces, and 12 digs.
Juniata sits at 11-0, having won 38 straight dating back to last season. They will begin conference play this Friday at Elizabethtown at 7:00.