Eagles Close out Regular Season with Doubleheader Wins

HUNTINGDON, PA- The Juniata women's volleyball team won their last two games of the regular season on Saturday with 3-0 and 3-2 wins over Penn St. Altoona and Carnegie Mellon University.

At noon, the Eagles began the day against the Nittany Lions of Penn St. Altoona.

After the opening ten points, the Eagles held a 6-4 advantage, and the Nittany Lions were keeping it close. After that, the Eagles pulled ahead with a 12-1 run that largely defined the set. Up 17-5, the Juniata lead reached its largest. The Eagles saw out the set 25-13 as Emily Farrell made the final kill on an assist from Isabella Rushing. 

Set two saw the Eagles go on a big run to open the set, establishing their lead early. Up 8-2 after the first ten points, the Eagles weren't holding anything back. Separate 4-0, 3-0, and 4-0 runs later in the set continued to build a Juniata lead which reached its largest at 15, up 23-8. Five points later, the Eagles closed out the set 25-11 with a service ace from Rushing.

The Eagles looked to close out the action in set three, but the Nittany Lions fought back early. They had found their first lead of the match early, up 1-2, but that lead ended at 5-6, as the Eagles regained the lead at 7-6 in the midst of a 9-0 run. Later, a 7-1 run removed all doubt, putting the Eagles up by 10 and three points away from match point. Despite the Nittany Lions' resistance, the Eagles were able to see out the set and match, winning it 25-17, 3-0 with a service ace by Isabelle Fekula. 

For match one, Maeve Edmund held the match-high 12 kills, with Elizabeth Cleveland totaling 17 assists. Rushing's 10 digs led the stat books in the backcourt.

For match two, the Eagles took the court at 5:00 p.m. to host the Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University.

Set one proved to be the closest of the night, as a 6-2 Eagle lead was quickly closed down by the Tartans. A 0-7 run put the Eagles down for the first time on the night, 9-13. After winning six of the next eight points, the Eagles brought it to a 15-15 tie. The teams tied again at 17-17 and 18-18 before the Eagles won four of six to go up 22-20. It was the Tartans who had the last say though, as they ended the set on a 1-5 run, winning it 23-25. 

The Eagles found their rhythm in set two, opening it on an 11-2 streak with kills from all over the floor. The middle of the set went back and forth, as the teams split the next 14 points 7-7. From there, the Eagles went on a 4-0 run to go up 22-9, and eventually won set point at 25-11. Molly Mishinkash made the final kill, assisted by Ava Castillo. 

Set three was mostly controlled by the Eagles, although it was the Tartans who jumped out to a 2-4 lead early. The Eagles quickly responded with a 6-1 run, taking a lead which they wouldn't give up in the rest of the set. The Tartans had tied it at 8-8, but a 10-2 run ensued from the Eagles, giving them a comfortable cushion to finish out the set. The Eagles' eight-point advantage was cut down to five at 23-18 with a strong fight from the Tartans, but the Eagles found two clutch kills from Mishinkash to close out the set. 

Set four was a closely-contested battle, as neither team held more than a two-point lead early. The first advantage greater than two came in the midst of a 3-7 run from the Tartans, which was followed by a 0-5 run soon thereafter. Overall, these runs took the score from 12-12 to 15-24, and the Eagles were down nine as the Tartans faced set point. From that position, the Tartans were able to win the set 18-25.

At 2-2, the teams went ahead into set five. The first four points were split, the Tartans taking the first two, and the Eagles responding promptly. Tying again at 3-3, 5-5, 6-6, and 7-7, there wasn't much that separated the two sides. From there, the Eagles found two kills and an ace to jump out to a three-point lead at 10-7. After a service error, the Eagles won another point, but then dropped another to take the score to 11-9. The Tartans made an attack error on the next point, giving the Eagles service at three points away from the win. In that position, the Eagles seized their opportunity and capitalized on the Tartans' errors, ending the match on a 4-0 run. Maggie Hayes made the final kill in the Eagles' 15-9 set five win on a rally that went on for nearly a minute straight.

Audrey Muth was the standout kill leader for the Eagles, totaling 18 in the match. Cleveland led in assists and digs with 55 and 15, respectively.  

The two wins helped the Eagles wrap up the regular season with a 25-5 overall record, going 9-0 in Landmark Conference play. Their conference play granted them the number one seed, earning them a spot hosting the Landmark Conference semifinal on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., their opponent TBA.