Eagles Close Out Opening Weekend With With Wins Over Rivier and Lasell
Marcy, N.Y. – Juniata men's volleyball swept a pair of matches on Saturday morning and afternoon, defeating Rivier and Lasell in straight sets at the Wildcat Field House to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Juniata vs. Rivier
Juniata 3, Rivier 0 (25-21, 25-11, 25-20)
Juniata opened the day with a convincing sweep of Rivier, using a balanced attack and efficient second set to pull away. The Eagles gradually built separation in the opening set before closing it out 25-21, then dominated set two behind a .688 hitting percentage to cruise to a 25-11 win.
Rivier made a push in the third set, but Juniata stayed composed and finished off the sweep at 25-20.
Felix Baier led the Eagles with six kills, while Lukas Ricciardi added six of his own. Will Sierer directed the offense with 23 assists and added two service aces, helping Juniata post 28 kills as a team. The Eagles also totaled four aces and limited Rivier to a negative team hitting percentage.
Juniata vs. Lasell
Juniata 3, Lasell 0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-19)
In the afternoon finale, Juniata carried its momentum into another straight-set victory, this time over Lasell. The Eagles held off a tight opening set before pulling away late for a 25-22 win, then steadily increased control in sets two and three.
Juniata hit .326 as a team in the match and recorded 42 kills.
Felix Baier paced all players with 12 kills, while Octavian Sperry followed closely with 11 kills. Tyler Phillips chipped in nine kills and six digs, and Chris Mellor hit an efficient .625 with five kills. Will Sierer once again anchored the offense, handing out 33 assists in the match.
Juniata finished the day with two sweeps, hitting over .300 in each match and holding both opponents scoreless in the win column. The Eagles will look to the Juniata Tri-Match next weekend kicking off with Trine on Saturday at 11:00 AM inside Memorial Gymnasium.
