Eagles Go Winless in Ranked Doubleheader

BLOOMINGTON, IL- The Women's Volleyball Eagles continued their 2025 campaign with ranked matchups against the Wisconsin-Oshkosh University and Illinois-Wesleyan University Titans on Saturday. Against two teams of Titans, the Eagles dropped the former 0-3 and the latter 1-3.

Their first matchup was against Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 11:30 a.m. 

Juniata started strong in the first set, taking four of the first five points. At 6-4, the Eagles held a narrow lead after the first ten points. The Titans' first lead came at 7-8 in the midst of a 0-4 run, and the match tightened up quick. Later, the Eagles went down 12-16 after conceding a 0-4 run, but responded promplty with a 5-0 run of their own to regain the lead 17-16. The Titans came back to control the play, and when the Eagles were down 19-23, they made a clutch push to come back, tying the set 24-24. Unfortunately, the Eagles came up just short in set one, losing it 24-26 by committing an attack error and conceding a service ace on the final two points.

It was the Eagles who led most of the way in set two, with the Titans gaining their first lead at 11-12. Since the Eagle lead was narrow, the Titans stayed in the game, and were eventually able to establish some separation with a 1-5 run to give them a 15-18 advantage. With the set winding down, the Eagles were unable to string enough points together to overcome the deficit. The Titans took set two by a small margin, 22-25.

After splitting the first ten points, both teams were locked in on set three. A 0-6 run gave the Titans the first significant lead of the set, leading 8-12. Again, the Eagles kept it tight, as the teams traded eight consecutive points down the stretch, but couldn't win enough consecutive points to make up the ground on the scoreboard. The Eagles dropped set three, 19-25. 

In match one, Molly Mishinkash made a team-high 15 kills and Elizabeth Cleveland added 33 assists. Isabella Rushing totaled 13 digs in the backcourt.

The 0-3 defeat was the Eagles first since November 16, 2019, where the Eagles fell to Trinity in the second round of the NCAA tournament. They shifted gears and refocused for match two, against a strong Illinois-Wesleyan team at 2:30 p.m.

The Titans of Illinois Wesleyan proved to be a strong opponent right away. The teams split the first ten points, proving that it would be small margins that would decide this match. Neither team held more than a two-point lead for the entire set. Both teams had made 3-0 runs, but in a set with 15 different ties, the longest run came right as the Eagles looked to be in prime position to win it. Up 23-21, the Eagles lost the last four points, dropping set one 23-25.

Set two followed suit. While the Titans started it up 1-4, the Eagles quickly brought it back, gaining their first lead at 10-9. Separate 3-0 runs took the scoreline to 13-12, and the Eagles maintained their narrow advantage well. At 20-19, the Ealges went on a 5-1 run to end the set 25-20, their first set win of the day. Mishinkash made the final kill.

Set three saw neither team hold more than a three-point lead untl the final moments. It was the Titans who led for most of this set, taking a lead at 4-5 that lasted until the end. The Eagles had come within one point on nine separate occasions and tied the game three times, but were never able to regain the lead. The Titans took set two 20-25, ending it on a 1-5 run.

Set four was where the Titans began to gain control. They started the set on a 2-6 run which was bolstered by a 1-5 run later, pushing the score to 7-12. A 0-8 run from 9-13 to 9-21 put the Eagles in a difficult position, and they were unable to surmount a comeback late. The titans took the set and match, 13-25, 1-3.

Mishinkash and Audrey Muth co-led in kills with 14 this time, while Cleveland totaled 42 assists. Rushing made the team-high 20 digs.

Mishinkash was named to the IWU Tournament III All-Tournament Team.

Now 23-5, the Eagles will look forward to their home matches next weekend, with a doubleheader on Saturday against Penn St.-Altoona at noon, and Carnegie Mellon at 5:00 p.m.