Eagles go Two for Two in Home Doubleheader

HUNTINGDON, PA- The Juniata women's volleyball team hosted a doubleheader against conference opponent, Susquehanna University, and against Washington and Lee on Saturday. They won both games in two comfortable 3-0 sweeps.

First, the Eagles faced Susquehanna.

After Susquehanna dropped an ace on the opening serve, the Eagles won 12 straight points in set one. A 12-1 lead proved to be more than enough to help the Eagles see out set one, 25-6.

Early in set one, Mackenzie "Big Kat" Coley achieved the 1000th kill of her career.

In set two, the Eagles took the first point and went on another 12-1 run, but this time it was later in the set. They came out of that run with a 21-7 lead, and they'd eventually win the set 25-9 with the final point coming off a kill by Maeve Edmund. They never trailed in the set.

The final set against the River Hawks included another huge Juniata run that peaked at 13-1, which the Eagles began by winning nine points in a row. While the beginning and end of the set were closely contended, the middle of the set was dominated by the Eagles. The 13-1 run became an 18-2 run before the Eagles eventually closed out the set, 25-9 on a kill by Molly Mishinkash. 

Emily Sullivan led with 10 kills in the match on a .692 kill percentage. Abbey Telesz had 17 assists and three Eagles each had five digs.

Later on the Generals of Washington and Lee took the court against the Eagles in a much closer battle.

After a 5-0 start for the Eagles, the Generals responded well in set one, going on a 9-1 run to eventually take an 11-12 lead. Each team then scored three consecutive points, setting up for a close finish. Down 15-17, the Eagles won seven out of the next eight points to establish a four point lead, which proved to see them over the line in set one. They won the set 25-21 on a final point kill by Courtney Williams. 

Set two unfolded very similarly to set one, with the Eagles taking an early lead, the Generals fighting back, and the Eagles pulling through in the end. With the score at 12-12, Juniata won five points in a row to gain some separation before trading points. Washington and Lee came within two points on multiple occasions, but were never able to take a lead later in the set. The Eagles won it 25-21 with an ace by Kennedy Christy. 

After the close finish in set two, the Eagles were able to take the sting out of the match in set three. They jumped out to an 8-2 lead through the first ten points and never looked back. Up 14-6, the Eagles won six points in a row to eliminate any hope the Generals had of making a comeback. They would eventually win the set 25-12 with the final point coming from a kill by Coley. 

This time Coley led in kills while Olivia Foley added 48 assists. Sydney Ohl led the team in digs with 15. 

The Eagles are now 17-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play. They will look to continue their strong play when they host Lycoming College next Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. for their next match.