HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team suffered close defeats in sets one and three on Friday night, and wound up losing a pivotal EIVA Tait Division matchup at Juniata College, 3-0.
The Eagles came away with a 30-26, 30-17, and 30-27 win over the Red Flash at the Kennedy Sports & Recreation Center.
Junior Jordan Varee (Conneautville, PA/Conneaut Valley) (Conneautville, Pa. / Conneaut Valley) had 17 kills, junior Nick Rivett (Pittsburgh, PA/Fox Chapel) (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Fox Chapel) had 10 kills, and hometown product Patrick McManamon (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon) had six kills on 12 swings.
Zach Wanner led Juniata with 13 kills, Dan Powers added 11 kills, and setter Matt Werle dished out 40 assists.
The Eagles outhit Saint Francis, .293 to .098, with the Red Flash handing away 28 points on attack errors alone.
In the first set, Juniata recovered from an 18-15 deficit with a 7-0 run to take a 22-18 lead. Halteman had a service ace during the run, but the Eagles benefitted most from four Red Flash attack errors, in addition to a Vrooman kill and a block by Powers and Dan Follett. Juniata held the lead throughout the remainder of the set, finally putting away the Red Flash on a block by Vrooman and Halteman.
Set two opened with Saint Francis and Juniata trading the lead four times, before the Eagles began to get some separation from the Red Flash at 9-8, thanks to a pair of Powers and Follett blocks. A Follett kill widened the lead to 10-8, and after the teams traded sideout kills, a Red Flash attack error stretched Juniata's lead to three points at 12-9.
Juniata maintained at least two points lead over Saint Francis through 15-13, when the Eagles rattled off four straight points to take control of the set. A Wanner kill to finish a lengthy rally at 17-13, followed by a Halteman block solo at 18-13. The Eagles outscored the Red Flash 12-4 the rest of the way in the second set, with a Follett kill putting Juniata on set point, 29-16, and a Saint Francis attack error sealing the win two points later.
In the third set, the Eagles led from the third point of the set, but were unable to get more than a three point lead over the Red Flash. Saint Francis finally battled its way back into the match with three consecutive points, tying the contest at 25-25. Five straight side out points left Juniata holding a 28-27 lead, and a block by Wanner put the Eagles on match point, 29-27. A block by Wanner and Halteman finally closed out the set and the match, giving the Eagles the 3-0 victory.
Saint Francis will close out its regular season home slate on Sunday, when it hosts EIVA Tait Division rival George Mason at 2:00 p.m. at DeGol Arena.
