Women's Volleyball Wins Doubleheader to Go 3-0 at Hope Invitational

HOLLAND, MI- On the second day of the Hope Invitational, Juniata's women's volleyball team won both games in a doubleheader on Saturday.

First, they played #6 the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh at 11:30 a.m. and won 3-1.

Neither team led by more than two points in the first set until the Eagles went on a five-point run down 10-11 to take a 15-11 lead. The Titans won three points in a row to make it 15-14, but then the Eagles won five more points to re-extend their lead to six at 20-14. With Titan resistance, the Eagles were able to hold on to win set one 25-20.

Juniata took a commanding 7-2 lead in set two, but the Titans fought back again to make it 7-6. The Titans would eventually tie the set at 12-12, but the Eagles took control from there, eventually winning the set 25-19 on a Titans service error.

After a 5-9 start, the titans would take set three 25-18. Separate six and four point runs gave the Titans a cushion leading by as many as nine points. The Eagles were unable to surmount that lead and they'd have to win it in set four.

And the Eagles did just that despite going down 4-8 after the Titans went on a five-point run. They brought it back with a five-point run of their own to gain a 9-8 lead. From that moment, the Eagles never trailed in the match again. The Titans had tied it at 10-10 and gotten close at 20-19, but the Eagles held on to get the 25-20 set win and 3-1 match victory.

In the first match Olivia Foley led with 47 assists while Kennedy Christy led with 13 kills, just one more than Lily Podolan and Mackenzie Coley who both had 12. Kiona Sky Rousset-Hernandez led with 28 digs for the Eagles. 

Later in the afternoon the Eagles swept Otterbein University 3-0 in a match beginning at 2:00 p.m.

This time, Coley led with 13 kills, and Foley led with 36 assists. Rousset-Hernandez added 12 more digs to the stat sheet.

The Eagles never trailed in set one. A five point run from 9-4 to 13-4 gave them a big cushion which they would maintain to win the set 25-18 with final point coming from a Cardinals attack error.

The second set began much closer as Otterbein took the lead 7-8. Juniata then found the perfect moment to go on their longest run of the day, winning the next eight points in a row to open a 15-8 lead. The Cardinals came within four points at 17-13 but never regained a lead as the Eagles won set two 25-19 on a Podolan kill.

The Eagles cruised through set three with separate four and seven point runs giving them an 11-2 lead. The Eagles would only drop ten more points in set three as they won it 25-12. The final point came from a service ace by Isabella Rushing. 

The Eagles will return home next Saturday to host Franklin & Marshall at 12:00 p.m. and Muskingum at 5:00 p.m. in the Wid Guisler Tri-Match.