Women's Volleyball Secures Seven All-Conference Slots as Cleveland, Rushing and Coaching Staff Earn Major Awards
Huntingdon, Pa.- For a 44th straight year, Juniata secured a conference and its 18th consecutive Landmark Conference Championship. After taking down Scranton for the fifth year in a row, Juniata eyes up another NCAA tournament run. The Eagles secured a total of four first-team Landmark All-Conference selections, three second-team selections, as well as awards for Specialist of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
We start with Isabella Rushing, the 2025 Landmark Conference Specialist of the Year. Rushing is the sixth-ever Eagle to receive the award after racking up three Landmark Player of the Week awards this fall, as well as an ACVA Athlete of the Week award. She finishes conference play leading both the team and the Landmark in service aces with 58. Rushing tagged a team-best 485 digs, which lands her third in the conference overall. Rushing also notched her first Landmark All-Conference selection after being named to the second team.
Elizabeth Cleveland caps off an impressive first-year campaign by being named the Landmark Rookie of the Year, following in the footsteps of many great Eagles before her. Cleveland was also named to the Landmark Conference second team while recording over 1,000 assists on the year. Cleveland supported a Juniata squad that ranked ninth in the nation in assists per set (12.75) and seventh in total assists (1403) after a dominant start to her career. Cleveland finishes second in the conference with 1,072 assists while racking up top ten finishes in service aces (48) as well. Landmark recognition is not new to her, as she secured a Landmark Player of the Week award earlier this fall.
Head Coach Heather Pavlik, Associate Head Coach Casey Dale, Assistant Coach Erin Smith, and Student Assistant Coaches Ryanne Whiteman and Chase Robbins were also named the Landmark Conference Coaching Staff of the Year. Juniata achieved a ranking of tenth to conclude regular-season play. The team is top 10 in hitting percentage, wins, and assists across the entire nation. With another impressive conference season in the books, Pavlik and company eye another National Championship run.
Molly Mishinkash secured her first Landmark All-Conference selection after being named to the first team following one of the most dominant seasons in all of volleyball. Mishinkash finishes conference play with the fourth-best hitting percentage (.435) in the entire nation and the best in the conference by a large margin. Shortly after notching the program's 100th straight victory, Molly was named the Landmark Athlete of the Week, securing the first of seven Landmark Athlete of the Week awards the team would go on to receive. Mishinkash recorded 287 kills, securing the fifth most in the Landmark Conference, adding 2.59 kills per set. When she wasn't knocking down kills, Mishinkash crushed defensively, leading the conference in solo blocks with 25, and finishing third in the conference in total blocks with 85.
Audrey Muth tacked on an illustrious career, earning a first-team all-conference selection this season for the second time in her career after being named to the second team in 2023 and in 2022, when she won the Rookie of the Year award. Muth ranked seventh in the conference in kills, with a total of 251 kills in only 87 sets. Muth adds a Landmark Athlete of the Week to the program count while playing all six rotation spots for the majority of the season. Muth added 41 total blocks combined with 24 service aces and 14 assists. Muth set a career landmark, notching her 1,000th career kill in front of family, cementing her place even further in the Juniata Volleyball legacy.
Ava Gummer was absolutely dominant for the Eagles throughout the fall after being named a team captain. Being named to the Landmark All Conference first-team, Gummer recorded 230 kills, which was good enough to lead the team prior to injury. Her .284 hitting percentage was eighth best in the conference, where she finished with the 14th most total points with 240.5. Ava made significant contributions to a team that is heading to the NCAA tournament, sitting third in the country in hitting percentage.
Maggie Hayes bagged a first-team selection to the Landmark All-Conference team for the first time in her career. Hayes was brutal on the tape, finishing with 65 total blocks on the year, which was good for seventh in the conference. Hayes also secured a .354 hitting percentage, which was second-best in the conference, only trailing her teammate Molly. Hayes' hitting percentage was top 40 in the nation while securing 249 kills throughout the season.
Emily Farrell has proven to be a key piece in the rotation for the tenth-ranked team in the nation this fall as they enter NCAA play on Thursday. With power behind her swings Farrell earned a Landmark All-Conference second team bid. She was tenth in the conference in kills with 241 and 14th in hitting percentage (.205) for qualified hitters. She also recorded 84 digs and 34 total blocks on the floor for the Eagles.
The #2-seeded Juniata will travel to Virginia Wesleyan to take on the #7-seeded Grove City in the round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament this Thursday at 2:00 PM. The Eagles will look to defend three consecutive national championships as they head into the tournament with a 27-5 record.