(Posted September 9, 2009)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College outside hitter Drew Barnhart (Titusville, Pa./Titusville) logged 11 kills with three total blocks and hit .476 for the match to lead the Eagles to a 3-0 win over Saint Vincent College, Wednesday night at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center in Huntingdon, Pa. Set scores for Juniata were 25-19, 25-7, and 25-21.

Juniata also received significant kill totals from freshman middle Kelsey Fuller (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) with seven terminations, and junior middle Kristin Noetzel (Closter, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) with five.

Senior Megan Sollenberger (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) tallied 18 digs for the Eagles, and chipped in offensively with three service aces. Steph Strauss (Penn Hills, Pa./Penn Hills) set the Juniata attack with 18 assists, as the Eagles hit .271 for the match.

Saint Vincent (3-2) was held to .000 hitting for the match, and racked up 22 attack errors over the three sets.

The Bearcats looked like they might pose a tougher challenge for the Eagles in the early going, Saint Vincent rallied to take a late lead in the first set. Trailing 12-8, the Bearcats rattled off five straight kills to take a 13-12 lead, only to see the run end the set tied up on a Barnhart kill. Three more SVC points put the the Bearcats into the lead, 16-13, and a pair of sideout points and a Juniata attack error allowed the Saint Vincent lead to advance to 18-14.

Juniata responded by winning 11 of the next 12 points to take the set one win, including taking the final four points off Saint Vincent attack errors.

The Eagles dominated the second set with a .478 attack percentage, after opening the frame with a 7-0 run. The Bearcats posted back-to-back points just once in the set, which ended with a Barnhart kill.

A pair of sudden momentum swings characterized the third set, as Saint Vincent opened with a 4-1 lead thanks to a kill and service ace by Natalie Hozak with another kill by Diana Petrovich.

However a Noetzel kill returned the service to Juniata at 4-2, and the Eagles rattled off the next seven points, and 18 of the next 23, to eventually take a 20-9 lead. Six straight side out points and a Saint Vincent attack error off Michelle Morchesky's (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area) put Juniata on match point, 24-12.

Saint Vincent refused to go quietly, as the Bearcats tallied the next nine points and worked the Eagles all the way to 24-21. Hozak had two kills during the SVC run, with two more by Rachel Pace.

Morchesky finally closed the books on the set and the match with a kill, one of her four in the match, off a set by Alexa Ebert (Titusville, Pa./Titusville).

Saint Vincent was led by Hozak with eight kills, while Taylor Guido had seven terminations. Devin McGrath had 11 set assists.

Juniata departs on Friday morning for Lexington, Va., where the Eagles will take part in the Washington & Lee University Invitational. The Eagles will face Southern Virginia University and the host W&L Generals on Friday, with matches against Christopher Newport and top-ranked Emory University on Saturday.

For a video recap of this match, click here.

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