Women's Volleyball Sweeps on Second Weekend of Landmark Competition

SELINSGROVE, Pa.- Juniata women's volleyball played the second round of Landmark competition on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles picked up two wins with 3-0 victories against Moravian and Elizabethtown. Juniata's overall record is now 11-5 and 4-0 in the Landmark.

In their first match of the day, the Eagles trailed the Greyhounds 5-0 early in the first set. Juniata ripped off six straight points to go ahead 6-5. That burst was part of a 12-1 run that saw JC go up 12-6. The Eagles' lead grew to as much as 17-8. Moravian never made a dent in its deficit as Juniata took the set 25-16.

The second set was a close battle as neither team could mount a run. The Greyhounds were able to break an 8-8 tie and tally four straight points to go ahead 12-8. Juniata rallied back and did not take a lead until it was ahead 20-19. Moravian was able to tie set at 24-24 but back-to-back kills by Megan Conger (Rockville, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) gave Juniata the points it needed to claim the frame.

The Eagles scored the first three points of the third set to go up 3-0. Moravian came back to lead 5-4. A 10-5 JC run gave the Eagles a 14-10 advantage. The Greyhounds were able to tie the match three times but after the last time, Juniata went on a 6-3 run to close out the set and win the match.

Katie Thomas (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) had 20 assists for the Eagles with Kelly Reynolds (Upper Saint Clair, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) adding 17. Suzanne Gloeckler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) tallied nine kills and five digs. Rachel Boe (San Carlos, Calif./Saint Francis) added six kills, four digs, and three assisted blocks. Katie Bryne (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) led the defensive effort with 17 digs.

Against the Blue Jays, the match was back and forth early on with the two teams exchanging points. A kill by Megan Moroney (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) tied it the match at 5-5 and started a 7-0 run by the Eagles to put them ahead 11-5. The Blue Jays never came close as Juniata won the set 25-10.

A 14-2 JC run in the second set broke a 6-6 tie. Juniata was able to cruise the rest of the way as it won 25-16. The Eagles dominated the third frame as they won 25-12.

Marybeth Weihbrecht (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) paced the Eagle offense with 10 kills and hit .643. She contributed on the defensive end with four block assists. Gloeckler added nine kills. Reynolds picked up 26 assists and four block assists. Byrne led the defense with 10 digs.

Juniata returns to Memorial Gymnasium this Tuesday when it hosts St. Vincent. Match time is at 7:00 p.m.