Juniata Men’s Volleyball Team Withdraws From Postseason Play For Disciplinary Reasons

HUNTINGDON, PA. -- The Juniata College men's volleyball team, set to compete in the NCAA Division III men's volleyball championship, has withdrawn from all postseason competition "for disciplinary reasons," according to Pat Shawaryn, head coach.

Shawaryn made the decision after one volleyball player was removed from the team and another was indefinitely suspended from the team. Another player involved in the incident, no longer at Juniata, withdrew from Juniata in 2014. The decision not to play in the post season stems from what Shawaryn calls "a history of questionable decisions and misbehaviors during my tenure here at Juniata over the past two to three years as a coach, which has resulted in an unhealthy and uncooperative team culture."

Shawaryn's decision came after multiple poor decision choices and most recently an incident at an off-campus residence in which men's volleyball players damaged public property and then denied involvement when questioned by Shawaryn.

Juniata will finish out the regular season with matches against University of Rutgers-Newark, Stevenson University, Eastern Mennonite University and Hilbert College. Shawaryn's decision to cancel postseason play means Juniata will also miss the Continental Volleyball Conference championships, which were scheduled for April 10-11. The NCAA championships are scheduled to start April 24 and run through April 26. The site for the championships will be at Stevens Institute for Technology and the city of Hoboken, N.J.

Athletic Director Greg Curley fully supports Shawaryn's decision not to participate in the postseason. "Participation in the post season is a privilege and an opportunity that is earned both on the court and off. Membership on a team with the tradition and success of our men's volleyball program provides many opportunities, but those opportunities do not come without a level of collective responsibility and the obligation to meet the standards and expectations of our community," Curley says. "We certainly want success at the highest levels for all our student-athletes, but only the right way and only with the right priorities. I support Pat's efforts to improve the culture of our volleyball program"

Juniata has competed in every Division III men's volleyball championship since the NCAA split men's volleyball competition into three separate divisions in 2012.

The men's volleyball team record this season stands at 21-4 overall and 9-0 in the Continental Volleyball Conference