The Juniata men's volleyball team lost in the NCAA Elite 8 to regional host Stevens Institute of Technology, 3-1 (18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-25), Saturday evening inside Canavan Area.
Tyler Goldsborough led the way with 21 kills (.262), four aces, four digs, and two block assists. Campbell Gerdeman had ten kills (.316), an assist, eight digs, and a solo block. Luke Hoffman tallied seven kills (.429) and three block assists, while Reese Ganter had 41 assists, a kill, an ace, four digs, and a block assist.
The Ducks took the first five points of set one, and the Eagles found themselves in an early hole. A little later, trailing 1-7, a block by Hoffman and Tyler Phillips, kills from Gerdeman and Hoffman, and a Goldsborough ace brought the Eagles back within two. Juniata hung around within two for a while, but Stevens slowly eked further ahead. A 7-2 run from the hosts made it 20-13, and JC couldn't recover as the Ducks took the set 18-25.
Juniata led 5-3 early and, later in the set, managed to nudge ahead 16-13. The teams traded points, with a Chris Mellor kill making it 18-15. Later, a pair of Goldsborough kills around a Stevens kill made it 20-18. After a Ducks kill, Phillips put down a kill, and Goldsborough served up an ace. Following a Stevens timeout, the teams traded points as Phillip's kill put JC two away from taking the set. Juniata didn't score again as the Ducks closed on a 5-0 run to take the set 23-25. Juniata had their best set offensively, hitting .320, but the Ducks hit a robust .400.
In set three, the Eagles dominated early, building a 7-2 lead and later being ahead 12-4. The Eagles nursed the lead, but a service error put them on set point, 24-16. The Ducks fought off four set points before a block by Hoffman and Goldsborough ended set three, 25-20.
The Ducks returned the favor with an 11-4 run to open the set, and the Eagles couldn't claw out of this hole. Stevens cruised to a 25-15 win to take the match.
Ganter, Goldsborough, and Hoffman were named to the NCAA Stevens Regional All-Tournament team.
Juniata finishes the year 26-7, tied for the third-most wins in a season in program history.
STORY COURTESY OF JUNIATA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION