(Posted March 25, 2008)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Penn State's .631 hitting for the match proved to be too much as Juniata College fell to the Nittany Lions 3-0, in EIVA Tait Division men's volleyball action on Tuesday night at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center in Huntingdon, Pa. Game scores were 30-16, 30-17, and 30-20. In game one, the Eagles (8-10, 4-5 EIVA Tait) hit just .107 as Penn State went on a nine-point run starting at 20-14 to take control of the game. The run ended at 28-15 with a Nittany Lion service error, and a bad set by Penn State's Luke Murray cut the margin to 28-16. A service error by Zach Bock (Mount Wolf, Pa./Northeastern) put the Nittany Lions at game point, and PSU clinched the win with a Jon Sherrick kill. Juniata tried to claw its way back into game two, after falling behind 26-11. A Matt Werle (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) kill returned the serve to Juniata at 26-12, and a PSU attack error followed by a Dan Follett (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) kill cut the deficit to 26-14. Matt Anderson's side out kill returned the service to Penn State, but a triple block by Werle, Follett, and Dan Powers (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) left Juniata trailing 27-15. Three straight side out points put Penn State on game point, 29-16, with a Matt Fritz (Churchville, Md./John Carroll) kill adding to the Juniata score. However Anderson responded with a kill on the ensuing serve to give Penn State the 30-17 win. Penn State grabbed a 6-1 lead to open the third game and slowly pulled away from the Eagles from there. Juniata again attempted a late rally, scoring three straight points to pull to within nine of the Nittany Lions, 25-16. Follett had back-to-back kills during the run, with a third added by Josh Mummert (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove). A side out service error by Powers was followed by another Mummert kill, giving the Eagles the serve at 26-17. An Anderson attack error cut the deficit to 26-18, but a side out kill by Alan Mars added to Penn State's score. A service error by Anderson and a Werle kill left Juniata trailing 28-20, however Penn State quashed the rally with two points on a Juniata attack error and a Jon Sherrick kill to end the match. Powers led the Eagles with seven kills and two total blocks, while Werle set 28 assists. Juniata was held to just five team digs for the match, and finished with a .140 attack percentage. Penn State hit .631 for the match, its best single-match attack percentage in nearly five seasons. Anderson led the Nittany Lions with 13 kills, while Ryan Sweitzer finished with 10. Luke Murray logged 35 assists. Juniata will face Springfield College on Friday, March 28, at 7:00 p.m. in Springfield, Mass. -30-

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