Eagles Triumph in Six of Seven Sets in Saturday Doubleheader

HUNTINGDON, PA- The Juniata women's volleyball team continued their strong play to open the 2025 season with 3-0 and 3-1 wins over Muhlenberg College and Ithaca College on Saturday.

The day in the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center started against the Mules.

The Eagles set the tone in the first set, practically winning two points for every one point lost. They maintained a score of double their opponents at 4-2, 6-3, 10-5, and 12-6. Muhlenberg came their closest at 14-10, but this rate of scoring was steady for the Eagles. A 9-3 run was capped off with a service ace by Ava Castillo to win set one 25-14.

Set two followed the footsteps of set one, with the Eagles dominating. A 10-3 opening gave the Eagles a lead which they would never give up. Again, the Mules came their closest when cutting the margin to four points, but the Eagles were forcing attack errors and making kills all around the floor. This time, an 11-2 run gave the Eagles a 25-12 set two win, which was wrapped up with a Muhlenberg attack error.

The third and final set of the first match of the day ran like clockwork for Juniata. Three separate 4-0 runs and two separate 3-0 runs gave the Eagles consistent scoring that the Mules could not find an answer to. Another attack error gave the Eagles the victory on set and match point, in their largest margin of victory for match one, 25-10. 

Maggie Hayes totaled a match-high 11 kills while Dakota Wilson contributed 22 assists. Digs came from all around the floor, and Sophia Repholz led the way with five.

In match two, the Eagles faced a tough opponent in the Bombers of Ithaca College.

Set one was tighlty contested from the start. The teams were tied on three occasions until the Eagles established the first real separation on the scoreboard after an 8-1 run gave them a seven point advantage, 16-9. The lead reached as high as nine points until the Bombers started to come back. Their efforts, though, were too little too late as Ava Gummer was quick to the block on the set-clinching kill for the Eagles at 25-19.

Juniata took eight of the first ten points of set two, establishing an important lead. After a 1-6 run from the Bombers, they began to gain some momentum on the outside. Shortly after, Ithaca continued on another 0-6 run, giving them their largest lead of the night, 11-15. Facing another four-point deficit at 13-17, the Eagles went on a four-point burst to knot the game at 17. The lead see-sawed back and forth between the times, and although the Eagles regained the lead at 22-21, it was the Bombers who finished strong in set two, coming out on top 24-26 after the Eagles fended off two set points.

Ithaca continued their momentum from set two into set three, commanding play early. Down 1-5 early, the Eagles grew into the set and came within one point at 10-11. The Bombers then went on a timely 0-8 run to undo all the work the Eagles put in to come back. Down 15-22, it looked like the Eagles would drop the set, but the Eagles were not done yet. Juniata went on a miraculous 9-0 run to regain the lead and turn the set on its head. Up 24-22 and at set point, the Bombers won their first point it what felt like ages, but the Eagles converted on the following point with a kill by Audrey Muth and assist by Elizabeth Cleveland to win the set 25-23. 

Set four unfolded very similarly to set three, but this time the stakes were higher. The Eagles jumped out to a 6-2 lead and maintained a hold on the lead into the middle of the set. Ithaca reached a tie at 12-12, regaining the lead at 15-16 after trading six straight points. A 0-3 run gave the Bombers an 18-21 lead, but unbeknownst to them, those were the last points of the night that would go in their favor. The Eagles responded with a clutch, timely 7-0 run to close out the set and match, 25-21 and 3-1, respectively. The final point came from a kill by Molly Mishinkash and another assist by Cleveland. 

In the match against the Bombers, Muth led with 14 kills while Gummer added 13 of her own. Cleveland tallied 50 assists, and Isabella Rushing made 28 digs.  

All Tournament Team:

The Eagles move to 6-0 on the year and will look to continue their strong play at the Wittenburg Invitational next weekend, starting with a match at Wittensburg University on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The program stands six wins away from tying the all-time consecutive win record across all divisions of NCAA women's volleyball.