Big Comebacks Spark No. 3 Eagles to Huge Road Wins

By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: Jennifer Jones

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – It was a big day on the road for No. 3 Juniata College men's volleyball.  The Eagles came from behind to defeat No. 5 UC Santa Cruz 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 26-24, 28-26) before upsetting No. 2 Nazareth College 3-2 (22-25, 33-35, 25-22, 25-18, 15-10) in a five set thriller at the Golden Flyer Invitational.

"Getting two wins against top five ranked teams, it really shows how hard the guys have been working to be able to compete and battle against strong programs," said head coach Kevin Moore.  "Our guys are doing the right kinds of things in the gym every day and they're able to carry it over every day to matches and situations."

Juniata (7-1) continues to dominate defensively at the net and finished with 26 total blocks on the day.  They were led by junior Paul Kuhn (York, Pa./Central York). The reigning national player of the week appeared in every set and averaged over three kills per set with a team-high 28.

Sophomore Chad Albert (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) was the most accurate on the day.  He hit .516 with 19 kills and just three errors.  The middle also led the team in blocks with 13, grabbing a career-high four solo against Santa Cruz.  And fellow sophomore Matt Elias (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) helped defensively while sparking the offense.  He finished with a team-high 23 digs and led with a team-high 93 assists.

Juniata returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 12:30 p.m.  The Eagles take on Hilbert College to close play at the Invite. Juniata will not return home until February 21-22 when it hosts a conference tri-match.

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