Men’s Volleyball Puts Scare into Juniata, but Falls 3-2

HUNTINGDON, PA. – Looking to pull off an upset over the host team, Wittenberg's Men's Volleyball put a big scare into fifth-ranked Juniata College on the road Friday night, Feb. 21, at Memorial Gymnasium during Day 1 of the Eagles Invite Tournament. 

The Tigers came out roaring, putting together a solid performance, but falling, 3-2, by set scores of 25-23, 15-25, 21-25, 25-20, and 15-7. The loss snapped a five-match winning streak for Wittenberg, which is now 12-7 on the season. Juniata improved to 15-2 overall.

Things were nip and tuck through Set 1 with Wittenberg getting some key kills by Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) to help seal the win. After three early ties, Juniata went on a 22-12 run to capture set 2. Falling behind 16-10 in set three, Witt went on an 8-4 run to come within 20-18, but Juniata would hang on for the win.

But the Tigers weren't ready to roll over just yet. After eight ties and the score even at 15-all, Wittenberg went on a 10-5 run to even the sets at 2-all and force a game five. The Tigers couldn't muster enough offense in the final set as Juniata jumped out to a 10-3 lead and never looked back.

Team Leaders

• Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) led the team in kills with 13 on 25 total attacks. He also had 13.5 points, four digs, and one block assist.
• Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) added 12 kills on 30 total attacks for 13 points. He also added a service ace and three digs.  
• Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) led the team in assists with 41 and added three kills, three digs, 7.5 points, one solo block, and two block assists.
• Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford) had a team-high 9 digs.
• Adam Blair (West Chester, OH / Lakota West) added nine kills on 18 total attacks for 10.5 points. He also had one solo block and one block assist.

Team Comparison

• Team totals included 50 kills for Witt to 78 for Juniata. Juniata also had a hitting percentage of .453 to .349 for the Tigers.
• Total attacks were close with the Eagles registering 128 to the Tigers' 106.
• Wittenberg had 44 assists, while the Eagles tallied 69. Juniata also led in digs 35-23. Each team had three service aces. 
• Juniata had 12 block assists to eight for the Tigers.

Up Next

Wittenberg will continue play in the Eagles Invite on Saturday, Feb. 22, taking on Arcadia at 11 a.m., then travel to Penn St. Altoona for a 6 p.m. match.