(Posted April 25, 2005)

Huntingdon, PA - For the second time in as many seasons, the Juniata College men's volleyball team placed three players on the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) All-East Team. Senior setter Ricky Ziegler (Northeastern/Manchester) and junior middle hitter Cordt Withum (Penn Manor/Holtwood) both earned first-team honors, while sophomore middle hitter Jeremy Barndt (Souderton/Souderton) was named to the second-team. It marks the first time in the program's history that Juniata has earned two first-team selections for the All-East Team, which features the top 20 players from the 17-team EIVA including players from Divisions I, II and III.

Ziegler claims first-team All-EIVA honors for the second-consecutive season, making him just the third player in Juniata history to earn first-team All-East recognition twice in his career. A two-year captain, he ranks fourth in Juniata history with 3,132 career assists while also adding more than 200 blocks, 275 digs and 75 aces during his career. Ziegler was named the AVCA Division III National Player of the Year in his senior campaign, as he leads Juniata with 1,127 assists. He also leads the team in aces, and ranks third in blocks and fourth digs. He has directed the Juniata offense to a .343 team hitting percentage, which ranks first in Division III and second in the EIVA. He topped the 50-assist mark in eight matches during the season, including a season-high 77 at Division I IPFW.

Withum earns his first All-EIVA selection with a first-team honor. The junior has emerged as one of the most efficient attackers in the EIVA and Division III. He ranks first in Division III with his .497 attack percentage, and ranks second in the EIVA in that category. He ranks second on the team in total blocks, and is third overall in kills. In Juniata's 15 matches against Division I opponents this season, Withum is averaging 2.88 kills per game with a remarkable .511 hitting percentage. He attacked at a .381 or better percentage in 14 of those 15 matches, and had a .500 or better attack percentage in nine of the contests. His 42 blocks in matches against Division I opponents was also tops on the team. He posted double digit kill performances 11 times on the year, and posted at least four blocks in 13 matches in 2005. He earned AVCA Division III All-America honors for the first time in his career, and was also named to the Molten Division III National Invitational All-Tournament Team.

In his first year as a regular in the starting lineup, Barndt developed into Juniata's top all-around players. The sophomore ranks second on the team with 240 kills, while also ranking second with a .449 attack percentage. He is tops on the team with 87 blocks and also ranks fourth on the team in serve aces. His hitting percentage ranks fourth in both Division III and the EIVA. He established a new career high with 17 kills in a four-game win over Division III rival Springfield, while also matching his career-best with seven blocks in the match. The match marked one of the 12 times he reached double figures in kills on the season, and one of the 11 times he posted at least four blocks. Barndt also recorded a hitting percentage of .400 or better in 19 matches. He was also recognized as an AVCA Division III All-American on the season.

Juniata owns a record of 20-7 in 2005 and has advanced to the EIVA Tournament Semifinals for the third time in the program's history. Juniata has already claimed the Molten Division III Men's National Invitational Championship, as well as the EIVA Division III title in 2005 and has spent all 14 weeks of the season as the top-ranked team in the AVCA/CSTV Division III Top-15 Coaches Poll. Juniata's 20 wins are the most the program has enjoyed since the 1997 team went 20-10, and marks just the fourth 20-win season in the program's history. Juniata, which is the third-seed in the EIVA Tournament, will take on second-seed George Mason on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State.

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