Eagles Top Yellow Jackets To Advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals As Duffy Breaks Program Record for Solo Blocks
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata men's volleyball team will be advancing to the next round of the NCAA tournament after dispatching Baldwin Wallace 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-18) Friday evening inside a raucous Memorial Gymnasium.
Tyler Goldsborough had seven kills (.500) with two aces, an assist, and three digs. Kevin Duffy III totaled four kills (.375), an ace, three digs, six solo blocks, and three block assists. The six solo blocks are the most in a single match in program history. Max Cooley tallied eight kills, two aces, an assist, a dig, and a block assist. Reese Ganter amassed 24 assists, two kills, seven digs, and a block assist.
The Eagles controlled the first set as they hit .474 with 12 kills, while the Yellow Jackets hit -.040. With the score at 10-7, a kill and an ace from Goldsborough, a block from Maxwell Barr and Luke Hoffman, and a Cooley kill pushed the lead to seven. BW took the next point but kills from Barr and Cooley, and another Duffy block had Juniata up 17-8. The Eagles took set one on a Yellow Jacket attack error, 25-16.
Juniata led early in the second set, 7-3, and rattled off four straight on a Duffy kill, a Yellow Jacket attack error, an ace from Duffy, and a block by Luke Hoffmann. Juniata would extend their lead by as many as nine when a Baldwin Wallace service error made it 21-12. The Yellow Jackets got red hot, scoring eight of the next nine to make it 22-20. Another service error and a block by Duffy gave the Eagles set point; two points later, Cooley crushed a ball to win set two, 25-21.
Juniata stormed to a 10-3 lead early in set four, with a pair of Cooley aces capping the run. Two Cooley kills bookended a Goldsborough ace to get the Juniata advantage to nine at 15-6. JC kept the Yellow Jackets at bay the rest of the way, and Cooley ended the match with a big kill over the double block that landed back middle to send the Eagles to NCAA Quarterfinals.
The win gives men's volleyball 30 on the year, as they continue to set a new program record. The previous best was 28 in 2012.
The Eagles will take on Messiah tomorrow at 6:00.