Katie Kennedy vs. Juniata 9/30/17
Dan Gittis
3
Winner Moravian MOR 10-8, 1-0 Landmark
1
Elizabethtown ETOWN 10-4, 0-1 Landmark
Winner
Moravian MOR
10-8, 1-0 Landmark
3
Final
1
Elizabethtown ETOWN
10-4, 0-1 Landmark
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Moravian MOR 26 25 19 25 (3)
Elizabethtown ETOWN 24 19 25 22 (1)
3
Winner Juniata JUN 12-4, 2-0 Landmark
1
Elizabethtown ETOWN 10-5, 0-2 Landmark
Winner
Juniata JUN
12-4, 2-0 Landmark
3
Final
1
Elizabethtown ETOWN
10-5, 0-2 Landmark
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Juniata JUN 25 20 25 25 (3)
Elizabethtown ETOWN 11 25 22 16 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Blue Jays slowed on opening day of Landmark play

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Elizabethtown saw its seven-match winning streak halted Saturday at Thompson Gymnasium in dropping a pair of 3-1 decisions to Moravian and No. 13 Juniata on the opening day of Landmark Conference play.

MORAVIAN 3, ELIZABETHTOWN 1
26-24, 25-19, 19-25, 25-22

Mackenzie Garner, Sarah Schneider and Elle Shatto had 11 kills each, but it wasn't enough to push the Blue Jays past Moravian. The Greyhounds took the first two sets and held on to defeat Elizabethtown 3-1 (26-24, 25-19, 19-25, 25-22) in the Landmark Conference opener for both teams.

The Blue Jays held a 21-19 lead after going back-and-forth with the Hounds for most of the first set. Consecutive kills from Mary Zacher highlighted a 4-0 run for the visitors, however, putting them on the brink of taking a 1-0 edge.

Schneider helped E-town (10-4, 0-1 Landmark) stay alive with a kill on set point and a combo block from Garner and Marisa Krinock tied the score at 24, but Zacher answered with another kill and the Hounds (10-8, 1-0) went on to a 26-24 victory.

After a 25-19 loss in the second, E-town roared back to win the third by the same score. Garner and Emily Sexton provided a lift with four kills each. Sexton, who came on as a reserve in the third, wound up with eight kills on 12 attempts for a .667 hitting percentage. Elizabethtown took control late by scoring the final five points of the set.

Moravian's offense kicked it into gear in the fourth with 18 kills, led by five of Zacher's match-high 24.

The Blue and Gray still had a prime opportunity to force a fifth set. Garner and Gabby Anders stuffed an Emerson Gieryic attack and the Hounds committed an attacking error on the next point to push Elizabethtown into a 22-22 deadlock. Reserve Corinne Frick came up with three straight kills to lift Moravian to the victory.

Schneider (11 kills, 11 digs) and Anders (37 assists, 14 digs) recorded double-doubles for the Jays and Garner added six block assists to her 11 kills. Moravian's Zacher hit .467 on 45 attempts (24 kills-3 errors). The Hounds also got 42 assists from Victoria Kauffman and 10 kills from Brooke Kusmider.

#13 JUNIATA 3, ELIZABETHTOWN 1
25-11, 20-25, 25-22, 25-16

Four players had seven kills or more and Juniata used its length up front to frustrate the Jays with 12 blocks in dealing Elizabethtown a 3-1 loss to cap play Saturday.

While E-town walked off the court 0-2 in Landmark play, there were plenty of positives to take from its performance against the 10-time defending league champion and nationally-ranked Eagles (12-4, 2-0 Landmark).

Mackenzie Garner, a Huntingdon native, connected for seven of her team-high 13 kills and Katie Kennedy served up three of her five aces in the second set when E-town out-killed Juniata 14-8 and led by as many as eight on its way to a 25-20 victory that tied the match. It marked the Blue Jays' first set win over Juniata in the last 18 matchups between the two going back to Sept. 30, 1998.

Elizabethtown almost sent shock waves through the conference by stealing the third set. Kills from Garner, Morgan Reiss and Elle Shatto helped the Blue Jays separate from a 13-13 tie to lead 19-13.

The Jays (10-5, 0-2) were still up six, 21-15, following a Megan Moroney attacking error, but the Eagles responded with the necessary urgency scoring nine consecutive points --the last eight of which came on the serve of Korin Koehler. Juniata won the set 25-22 and put the Jays away in the fourth, 25-16.

Juniata has never lost a regular or postseason match since becoming a charter member of the Landmark Conference in 2007. The Eagles' regular season conference winning streak stands at 63 matches after a pair of victories, Saturday.

Aiding Garner on offense were Shatto (8 kills), Reiss (6) and Anna Simpson (6). Anders chipped in 28 assists, while Aiyana Tietze-Di Toro was brillant in her role as the libero, coming up with 25 digs.

Moroney and Marybeth Weihbrecht were impactful on both sides of the net for Juniata. Moroney totaled nine kills and five blocks, while Weihbrecht had eight kills and six denials (two solo). Dejia Danhi also had five blocks.

Elizabethtown resumes its schedule Tuesday evening at 7 at Stevenson.
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