Eagles Snag Five-Set Thriller Over Marymount in CVC Semi-Finals

LEXINGTON, Va.- The #3 Juniata men's volleyball team opened their 2023 postseason campaign with yet another five-set victory over Marymount (20-25, 30-28, 20-25, 25-17, 15-8) in the Continental Volleyball Conference Tournament Semi-Finals. The sides earlier met at Marymount, where it took a 15-10 fifth set for Juniata to find the match win. 

Jeremiah Burden had 23 of the Eagles' 55 digs on the night, which stands as the third-most digs in a single match in program history.  

Offenses were hindered on both sides of the court in the contest, with the Eagles hitting .169 on the night while the Saints were .147. Both sides were ridden with attack errors on the night, with Juniata committing 31 and Marymount totaling 29. 

Kevin Duffy III led the blocking effort with three solo blocks and four block assists on the night while also totaling six kills. Will Phelan and Drew Hunker each collected 11 kills on the day, while Phelan's .273 hitting percentage was the team's best on a night when the offense was off guard. 

Reese Ganter had 26 assists through the first three sets of the match before Austin Goodsel got the nod as setter and collected 16 across the final two sets. 

Marymount made the most of Juniata's errant approach, and set one saw them hit -.067 with 11 attack errors to claim the first 20-25. Juniata got out to an early 13-7 lead in the set thanks primarily to Saints attack errors, but Marymount soon strung together a 12-3 run that got them to 19-16. That run saw eight of Juniata's 11 attack errors in the set. A Phelan kill and Tyler Goldsborough ace got Juniata back within one 20-19, but Marymount soon made the most of three consecutive Juniata attack errors to get to match set point. A service error kept the Eagles alive before a kill ended the first. 

The second set saw both teams hit just below .200, and no team took a lead of more than four, with The Eagles eventually finding a set at 30-28. The sides traded points early, with Juniata getting to 12-9 thanks to two kills and a Luke Hoffman ace. The Saints kept marching on, eventually finding six-straight points on another run of multiple Juniata attack errors to claim the lead at 21-20. The sides traded points back and forth several times, but Juniata eventually strung together three on a Duffy kill, a Hunker ace, and a kill from setter Ganter.  

Marymount found the lead in the match with another 20-25 set win as they made the most of an early 6-2 lead that they never surrendered to the finish. The Eagles did get within one on two occasions at 14-15 and 17-18, but they were never able to reach the summit, eventually falling to a late 6-3 run that saw the set end on an Eagles service error.  

Juniata hit at .154 in the fourth set but kept their opponents to .000 as they claimed a relatively controlled 25-17 set four win to take it to five. Two early three-point runs got the Eagles up to 8-4, and they doubled the advantage once more with another three-point streak for a 12-6 lead. The Saints got back to 9-12 swiftly thanks to a kill and an attack error, and a service error from Juniata. The sides traded points for a bit before a couple of loud blocks from the Juniata defense solidified a 5-1 run that put JC in control 18-11. More errant Saints offense got Juniata to 22-13, and trading points to the end took Juniata to the fifth set. 

All systems were a go in the fifth set for Juniata as the Eagles finished an at times anxious match with a .727 hitting percentage and a 15-8 set-five win. The sides were level at two before back-to-back Hunker kills, and another from Duffy got Juniata to 5-2. A 3-1 run for the Saints got them back within one, with Goodsel getting Juniata to the side change with a kill at 8-6. A kill and a block kept Marymount within one at 9-8 before six straight were posted by the Eagles, including kills from Goldsborough, Hoffman, and the match-winner from Hunker.  

The win tonight, the 28th of the campaign, ties a single-season program record for wins. It also extends the team's current win streak to 13 consecutive victories. 

The Eagles play for their first CVC title since 2017 when they face #14 Rutgers-Newark at 4:00 pm at the campus of Washington & Lee. They enter tomorrow's match following a straight-set win at Memorial Gymnasium over the Raiders on April 1.