Eagles Drop Non-Conference Match to #9 Elmira

ELMIRA, N.Y.- The Juniata men's volleyball team traveled to Elmira on Monday night for a non-conference match with the Soaring Eagles. EC was able to get the best of the Eagles with a 3-1 victory.

JC led 5-3 early in the first set but the Soaring Eagles came back and went ahead 8-5. Juniata kept with up with EC and trailed at one point 19-15. A 6-4 EC run to close out the set was more than enough for the win, 25-19.

The Soaring Eagles led early on in the second frame but Juniata came back to get within one point of tying the set up at 8-7. A 9-1 Elmira run staked the home team out to a 17-8 lead. That advantage proved to be enough as the Soaring Eagles would outlast the Eagles 25-19.

The third set belonged to Juniata. The Eagles got to a 4-0 lead and increased it to 8-1. Elmira was able to make it close but JC started to pull away as it led 17-9. The Eagles led 24-19 and were one point away from taking the set but the Soaring Eagles did not make it easy as they rattled off five straight points to make it 24-23. JC got the last point it needed on a service error by Elmira's Mark Kawecki and the match was 2-1 in EC's favor.

EC broke a 5-5 deadlock in the fourth frame with a 5-0 run to go up 10-5. Juniata was able to get to within three points at 11-8 but the Soaring Eagles increased their lead to 14-8 and eventually to 19-10. Elmira was too much for Juniata to handle in the end as it won the set 25-14.

Quinn Peterson (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge) paced the JC offense with 14 kills. Ryan Shelton (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) led in assists with 27. Matt Vasinko (Loyalhanna, Pa./Derry Area) picked up six digs. Leland Hacecky (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) tallied three assisted blocks.

Juniata returns to Memorial Gymnasium this Wednesday night when it hosts Penn State-Altoona. Match time is at 7:00 p.m.