
Juniata College made a statement this weekend, taking down a pair of ranked foes in #19 Nazareth and #17 Baldwin-Wallace to extend the #6 ranked Eagles winning streak to 12 matches. On Friday night the Eagles swept Nazareth (26-24, 25-17, 25-23). Juan Armando had 10 kills and 11 digs while Chase Robbins totaled 14 kills. Will Sierer had 18 assists while Grant Lorelli finished with 16 assists.
Set one featured a late 6-0 run from the Golden Flyers to give them a 19-18 lead. The teams traded points, with Juniata taking three straight points including a service error to reach set point at 24-21. Nazareth managed to take the next three points, but two errors helped Juniata win set one 26-24. Juniata hit .600 in set two, and a 10-2 run midway through the second set helped the Eagles cruise to a 25-23 win. Set three the Eagles were trailing 17-14 in the later stages. Juniata scored six of the following eight, with a Robbins kill pushing the Eagles back ahead, 20-19. Nazareth reclaimed the lead at 21-22, before a Chris Mellor kill and a Golden Flyer attack error sent the Eagles to match point. Robbins tooled the block to end the match, 25-23.
On Saturday the Eagles opened the day against Baldwin-Wallace, recording a 3-0 win, before sweeping Penn State-Altoona later in the day.
Against Baldwin-Wallace, Juniata took control right from the start, winning the first set 25-20. Tyler Goldsborough led the charge with nine kills and 11 digs, providing both offensive and defensive support. The Eagles cruised through set two, winning 25-14, putting them just one set away from the sweep. They wrapped up the match with a 25-20 victory in the final set, ensuring a 3-0 sweep. Juniata's attack was led by Goldsborough, who finished with nine kills, while Chris Mellor added seven kills and nine points overall. The team's blocking was also a highlight, totaling 7 blocks with contributions from players like Grant Lorelli and Mellor. Juniata's defense proved to be the difference, with 36 digs and solid blocking throughout the game.
The Eagles followed with a competitive second match against Penn State-Altoona with the first set going up to 28 points. The Eagles got back on track winning set two 25-15 and set three 25-17. Juniata took sets two and three to secure their second win of the day. Octavian Sperry led the way with nine kills and 10 digs. Will Sierer added in 21 assists and seven digs on the day.