Box Score Wilkes Men's Volleyball Falls in Straight Sets to No. 2 Juniata
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Wilkes men's volleyball team fell to No. 2 Juniata College in straight sets Saturday afternoon at the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center.
With the loss, the Colonels drop to 11-15 overall and 0-7 in Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) play, while the Eagles improve to 24-2 on the season and 5-1 in conference action.
Wilkes stayed within striking distance early in the opening set, matching Juniata through the first 12 points behind two kills each from
Carter Otto (Mountain View, CA/Mountain View) and
Aaron Ladd (Souderton, PA/Pennridge). The Eagles used a decisive 8-2 run to create separation late, and despite a 4-0 push from the Colonels behind
Joshua Conley's (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks South) service, Juniata held on for a 25-20 set win.
The second set was tightly contested, with both teams trading points early before Wilkes gained a brief edge behind a
Logan Maha (Sayville, NY/Sayville) service ace. Juniata answered with a 3-0 run to even the score at 10, and the teams continued to battle point-for-point through the middle of the frame. The Colonels surged ahead with a 7-3 run to take a 20-16 lead, fueled by two key kills from Conley, but the Eagles responded with a 5-0 run to regain control and ultimately edged Wilkes 25-23.
Juniata carried that momentum into the third, building a commanding 13-4 advantage. Wilkes continued to compete, putting together a 5-0 run to cut into the deficit, but the early gap proved too much to overcome as the Eagles closed out the set 25-20 to complete the sweep.
Aidan Hunter (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson) led the Colonels with a team-high seven kills, while
Carter Otto (Mountain View, CA/Mountain View) and
Aaron Ladd (Souderton, PA/Pennridge) added six apiece. Conley directed the offense with 16 assists and also recorded seven digs, matching
Alex Derk (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge) for the team lead.
Juniata was paced by Tyler Phillips with 13 kills, while Will Sierer dished out 34 assists and Andrew Byrne anchored the defense with 12 digs.
Wilkes returns to the Marts Center on Wednesday, April 1, for its final home match of the season against Immaculata University. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
