(Posted April 7, 2008)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Junior setter Matt Werle (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) and junior middle hitter Dan Powers (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) have both been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III All-America team which was announced Monday.

Werle earned First team All-America honors for the second year in a row. He heads into the Molten Division III Championship with 930 total assists, and ranks seventh in the EIVA with 11.16 assists per game. He is also third on the team in total blocks with 64. He registered nine 50-assist performances this season, including a season high 60 assists in a 3-1 win over Mercyhurst College, and had three double-doubles in digs and assists. Werle's high of eight kills came in a home win over East Stroudsburg, and he logged nine total blocks in a 3-1 win at home against Princeton. Werle is a three-time All-American, having earned Second team honors in 2006.

Powers, a first time All-American, was named to the AVCA's Second team, becoming Juniata's 14th men's volleyball All-American and the 107th All-American in school history. He is second on the team in total kils with 212, averaging 3.12 per game, and he ranks third in the EIVA in hitting with a .455 attack percentage. He recorded double-figure kill totals in 10 matches this season, with a season-high 15 kills against both NJIT and East Stroudsburg. Powers led Juniata in total blocks with 77, with a season-high seven against in a home win over Princeton.

Juniata is 10-12 overall, 6-6 in the EIVA's Tait Division. The defending Molten Division III Champion Eagles will be attempting to win their fifth-straight D-III national championship this weekend at the 2008 Molten championship which starts Friday, April 11, at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.