HUNTINGDON, Pa. The Elizabethtown College men's volleyball team's 2021 Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) season came to a close, dropping two straight-set matches to No. 10 Juniata Thursday evening.
The Blue Jays (1-7, 1-7) were led by sophomore
Steve Swain who finished the night with 15 kills. Classmate
Blake Hildebrand registered 13 kills and graduate student
Matt Schaeffer tallied 46 assists and 10 digs.
The Eagles (10-2, 5-1) saw a monster night from Will Phelan who compiled 29 kills, including 17 kills and an .800 hitting percentage in match one.
JUNIATA 3, ELIZABETHTOWN 0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-19)
- SET ONE: After back-to-back kills by Swain made the score 8-5 in favor of the home team, Juniata stretched its lead to seven (12-5). Etown managed to close back within five (14-9) after another kill by Swain and an attack error by the Eagles, but that is close as they would get as Juniata secured the 25-15 first set win.
- SET TWO: Tied at five, Etown rattled off a quick 3-0 run highlighted by two aces from sophomore Cameron Krebs for the early 8-5 lead. Juniata yanked back the momentum with a 11-2 rally to move in front 16-10. The Eagles moved its advantage to as many as nine, taking the second set 25-17.
- SET THREE: Juniata controlled the third set from the jump, scoring the first three points of the third. The Blue Jays launched one last run down 23-15, scoring four straight points behind blocks from sophomore Tony Camillo and Schaeffer and Camillo and Swain, but the Eagle wrapped up the 3-0 win with the final two points, 25-19.
JUNIATA 3, ELIZABETHTOWN 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-15)
- SET ONE: Down two (5-3) early, Hildebrand hammered home two straight kills to tie the match at five. Juniata responded with an 8-2 run for the 13-7 advantage. The Blue Jays would only be able to get as close as four points late (22-18) as the Eagles took the first set of the second match, 25-18.
- SET TWO: It was another mid-set run by Juniata in the second, holding a three point lead (11-8) the Eagles pushed its advantage to eight (16-8). A Hildebrand kill and then a kill from classmate Cheston Jacobs made the deficit six on two separate occasion, but that is as close as the Blue Jays would, falling 25-16
- SET THREE: The Eagles clinched the second straight set victory of the night in the third set, running out to a 13-6 lead before completing the 10 point third set victory, 25-15.
- NEXT SEASON
With only two graduates, the Blue Jays return the majority of its roster that scored its biggest win in program history, a 3-2 victory over No. 8 Juniata. Thank you to senior Joey Nelson and graduate Matt Schaeffer for your commitment to the program and good luck with your future endeavors.
