Eagles Top Tigers in Four-Set Elite Eight Victory; Advance to Program's 29th Final Four

Lily Podolan led the Juniata attack in kills, hitting 19 total with a .361 hitting percentage, while Mackenzie Coley (14 kills, .419 hitting %) and Kennedy Christy (13 kills, .267 hitting %) also had double digit kills. Coley also had five block assists, while Christy had five of the team's ten aces, all coming in the first set. 

Olivia Foley provided 48 assists, averaging 12 per set, with four block assists and 14 digs. Defensively, Kiona Sky Rousset-Hernandez had a season-high 32 digs, while Sydney Ohl provided 12 digs. The duo also provided a pair of aces each. 

The first set was a back-and-forth affair in the early stages, with the sides trading points following Christy's match-opening kill. Juniata strung together three straight with kills from Coley, Foley, and Courtney Williams to go up 6-4. The Tigers then went on an 11-3 run with two blocks, three Juniata attack errors, and five Trinity kills to go up 15-9.  

The sides each tallied a pair of back-to-back kills before Juniata went on an eight-point run led by Christy's five aces for a 20-17 lead. Juniata maintained the modest gap, finishing on a pair of Podolan kills.  

Set two began with the Eagles going up 5-1 with two kills from Coley, one each from Podolan and Audrey Muth, and a Foley-Coley block. A 7-2 run for the Tigers via four kills and three Juniata attack errors put them ahead by a point at 8-7. After a few trades of service, Juniata got back on top by three points with a 5-1 run with a pair of Coley kills. Juniata eventually ended the set on a 10-1 run, shutting down the Tigers with four kills from Christy, two from Williams, and another set-point Podolan kill. 

The Tigers kept their season alive, holding a narrow lead for much of the way for a 25-21 set-three win. Trinity went up 4-1 early, followed by Juniata getting back ahead 5-4 with kills from Podolan and Christy with Trinity attack errors. Juniata continued to trail early, eventually getting the lead back 10-9 with back-to-back Ohl aces. A later 7-2 Trinity run put the Tigers up with a modest 20-15 lead, but their momentum was soon halted by a kill from Muth and back-to-back Podolan kills to get back within two points. Trinity then tallied a pair of points followed by two more from Juniata in response. A Podolan run interrupted a 4-1 run from Trinity to end the set 21-25.  

Trinity again made things difficult early in the fourth set, finding themselves level at six apiece. Juniata scored three of the next five points with kills from Muth and Podolan to go ahead 9-7. Juniata kept up the momentum, blowing the lead wide open on a 9-1 run with three Coley kills and two from Christy. The Tigers regained their footing with a 6-3 Trinity run, putting them six points out with time running low.  

Up 21-15, Juniata got a step closer to match point with a kill from Muth and a solo block from William. Trinity scored three more followed by a Podolan kill to reach match point 24-14. Trinity held on with a kill and Juniata attack error, but a Christy kill on an unsuccessful Tigers block put the Eagles into the Final Four for the third consecutive season.  

Juniata looks to mark the program's 10th appearance in the National Championship match as they face the tournament's third seed, NYU, on Thursday evening at 8:00 pm EST. Juniata has a 7-1 record against the Violets, having last faced them in a 2010 straight-set victory for Juniata.