Eagles Secure Number One Seed, Extend Win Streak to 13

HUNTINGDON, PA- Juniata women's volleyball pushed their win streak to 13 as they took six sets of six in two 3-0 sweeps over Wilkes University and Lebanon Valley College on Saturday.

At noon, the Eagles began the day against Landmark Conference opponent Wilkes. 

The Eagles started with a 4-0 run over the Colonels, setting off on the right foot. The Colonels quickly responded though, cutting the lead to one on several occasions. At 10-10, Wilkes went on a 1-3 run to gain their first lead, but that was met by a 5-0 run from the Eagles, putting them back in front. At 16-15, the Eagles went on a 6-1 run to establish a six-point advantage late. From there, the Eagles comfortably reached set point and converted on their first try, 25-18, with a kill by Emily Farrell, assisted by Mari Hansen.

Set two saw the Eagles maintain another slight edge on the scoreboard, opening with a 6-2 run, and later pushing the lead on a 5-1 run. Up 17-11, the Eagles made a push to win the set. Ten points later, the Eagles had maintained their six-point lead and went on a 4-0 run from 22-16 to 25-16 to finish out the set. An assisted block by Farrell and Maggie Hayes clinched the set win.

Set three was tightly contested. In a set with 12 ties, neither team held more than a two-point lead until the Eagles went on a defining run at the end. Like they've done several times this season, Juniata found a consistent form of offense when it mattered most and ended the set on a 7-0 run, winning it 25-17. Another assisted block by Audrey Muth and Madison Mcilwain clinched the win for the Eagles.

Molly Mishinkash led the Eagles with 10 kills while Elizabeth Cleveland added 17 assists and Isabella Rushing made 12 digs in match one. 

At 2:00 p.m. match two began against the Flying Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley College. 

Set one against the Flying Dutchmen was the closest of the match, as Lebanon Valley took a surprise 3-6 lead early. An Eagle 4-0 run ensued, giving them their first lead at 7-6. Later, a 9-1 run from Juniata largely defined the set as it put the Eagles up eight, 19-11. From there, the Eagles finished the set 6-5, and 25-16 total as Muth made the final kill.

Set two was simply all Juniata. After winning eight of the first ten points, the Eagles conceded a mere one point in the next 15. Up 22-4, the Eagles slowed down before winning the set 25-8. Muth showed up again for the final kill. 

The Eagles looked to continue their strong play in their third and final set of the day, and they did. An early 10-2 run gave the Eagles a lead which they would never give up. While the middle of the set was more closely contested, the Flying Dutchmen would need to go on a significant run to make up the ground they had given up early. The Eagles were playing too well to let that happen, and they comfortably saw out the match. Just like sets one and two, Muth made her mark on the final point, as the Eagles took this one 25-15. 

In match two, Mishinkash led again in kills with 12 while Hayes closely followed with 11. Cleveland totaled 39 assists, while Rushing upped the mark to 14 digs this time.

With the win over Wilkes, the Eagles secured a 9-0 record and the number one seed in the Landmark Conference. The win over Lebanon Valley pushed the Eagles record to 23-2 as the team will shift their focus to conclude their regular season with some more non-conference action, starting next Friday at 4:30 p.m. when they face Millikin University on the road.