(Posted February 27, 2010)

NEW YORK -- Senior middle Evan Halteman (Perkiomenville, Pa./Christopher Dock) and sophomore middle Ben Wolff (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) combined to pound out 16 kills while playing error-free volleyball, and lead Juniata College men's volleyball to a commanding 3-0 win over New York University at the Coles Sports Center.

Set scores for Juniata were 30-14, 30-25, and 30-20.

Halteman and Wolff hit a combined .696 for the match, and each finished with five total blocks. The middle hitter tandem led a Juniata squad that hit .375 for the match, while holding NYU to a .009 attack percentage. Halteman finished with 10 kills on 13 swings, while Wolff had six kills on his 10 attacks.

Senior outside hitter Zach Wanner (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) led the Eagles offensively with 11 kills on 18 swings, while Chris Vrooman (Baden, Pa./Ambridge Area) logged eight terminations.

Setter Mike Kraft (York, Pa./Eastern York) tallied 38 assists while guiding the Juniata offense, while libero Anthony Damiano (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) turned up 12 digs. Juniata out-dug NYU 37-26 for the match.

NYU failed to produce a single player with double-digit kill totals. Pattrick Dodd and Cooper Gwaltney each had seven kills; Gwaltney also tallied 11 attack errors, and finished with a -.160 attack percentage. Ori Oren set 22 assists for the Violets, while Ryan Limb had a hand in four blocks.

Juniata (5-6) enjoyed lengthy point runs in each of the three sets: a pair of six-point runs in the first set, a pair of four-point runs in the second set, and a six-point run in the third set that helped break open a set the Eagles had been leading by a slim 16-15 margin.

A service error by the Violets' Limb started the run, followed by a Juniata block by Wolff and Vrooman. The Eagles picked up the next three points on NYU attack errors, and Wanner closed out the run with a kill. That left Juniata with a 22-15 lead, and the Eagles cruised to the three-set victory from there.

Juniata returns to action on Friday, March 5, when it takes on EIVA Tait rival Springfield College in Springfield, Mass. That match is the first of two slated for the weekend; the Eagles will visit another EIVA Tait opponent, Princeton University, on Saturday, March 6.

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