Eagles Sweep Blue Jays to Win Wid Guisler Tournament

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's volleyball team continued their winning ways by closing the Wid Guisler tournament with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-22) win over #25 Johns Hopkins, Saturday afternoon in Memorial Gymnasium.  

Juniata dominated the first set with efficient swings as they hit .400. With the score at 5-4, kills from Marie Gonsar (New Castle, Pa. / Shenango H.S.) and Marybeth Weihbrecht (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) along with two from Victoria Taylor (Middletown, Del. / Delaware Military Academy) made it 10-4. The Blue Jays hung around, and pulled within five at 18-13. Another kill from Taylor and Gonsar paired with a kill from Moira Folan (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oakland Catholic HS) and three JHU attack errors gave JC set point at 24-13. A block from Folan and Dejia Danhi (Ashburn, Va. / Stone Bridge) ended set one, 25-15.

Set two was tighter, as the teams traded the lead back and for several times before Juniata slowly started to gain control. With the score at 17-15two straight kills from Weihbrecht made it 19-15. JHU scored the next point after a timeout before Weihbrecht put down another kill along with Taylor to make it 22-16.  JHU called another timeout. The Blue Jays captured the next two points before JC closed down the set. Two Taylor kills sandwiched around another  block by Danhi and Folan ended set two, 25-18. 

Juniata came flying out to start the thing, as a kill from Alyssa Tavera (Whittier, Calif. / La Salle H.S.), two kills from Danhi, a bad set by JHU and a block from Danhi and Morgan Edwards (Lancaster, Pa. / Penn Manor) made it 6-1. Another block by Danhi and Edwards along with an Edwards kill had JC ahead 8-2. Hopkins got within three at 13-10, but a solo block from Edwards along with a block by her and Danhi made it 16-10. JHU kept chipping away at the Eagle lead, and following a block they got within one at 23-22. An Edwards kill gave JC match point and Makena Hallagher's (Glenolden, Pa. / Merion Mercy Academy) ace ended the match, 25-22. 

Katie Byrne (Annapolis, Md. / Broadneck) joined Weihbrecht and Taylor on the all-tournament team. She also moved into fourth all-time in program history in career digs with 2059. 

Final Results of the Wid Guisler Tournament

All-Tournament Team 

Juniata: Katie Byrne, Tournament MVP Victoria Taylor, Marybeth Weihbrecht

Mary Washington: Ryan Cho and Peyton Dunow

Eastern: Sarah Roberts and Michelle Paulsen

Johns Hopkins: Louisa Kishton 

Juniata will take on Catholic, next Saturday at 12:00.