Stars Outlast Eagles in Five

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The #12 Juniata men's volleyball team went toe to toe but ultimately came up on the wrong side of a 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-17, 13-15) five-set battle with visiting #3 Dominican (IL), Friday evening inside Memorial Gymnasium on day one of the Juniata/PSU Invitational. 

The opening set saw the Eagles hit for a negative hitting percentage for the only time in the match, and the Stars used that plus a late run to take set one, 20-25. 

Set two was the reverse, as the Eagles used a late run for a little separation and didn't look back. With the score at 16-16, two straight kills from Max Cooley (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park HS) and another from Kevin Duffy III (Carlisle, Pa. / Carlisle HS) put JC up three. The Eagles held at least a two point lead the rest of the way, with a kill from Tyler Goldsborough (Reading, Pa. / Exeter Township HS) giving JC set point and Luke Hoffman (Reading, Pa. / Exeter Township HS) ended set two, 25-20. 

The Stars used runs of 5-0 and 6-0 to build a big lead as they went up 18-9, but Juniata didn't make it easy for them as they responded with a monstrous 8-0 run to get back in the set. Will Phelan (Saegertown, Pa. / Saegertown HS) and Cooley tallied kills followed by two Dominican errors. Another Stars error, a block from Goldsborough and Hoffman, a kill from Goldsborough, and another error by the visitors had Juniata back within one. The Eagles could not pull even to complete the comeback, as the Stars managed to take the third set 21-25. 

The Eagles had their second-best hitting percentage of the match at .355 while Dominican hit for their worst hitting percentage at .156, which meant the Eagles had the biggest margin of victory in a set as they won 25-17. 

The Eagles never led in the final set, as they pulled even five times but could never take the lead as the Stars escaped Huntingdon with a 13-15 five-set win.  

Juniata will take on Mount Union at 2:00 and Baldwin Wallace at 6:00 tomorrow.