Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Marymount University men's volleyball team turned in a pair of gritty efforts on Saturday afternoon, but the Saints were unable to find a way past No. 13 Juniata College in their first Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) action of the season.
Game One: Juniata 3, Marymount 0
The Saints and Eagles battled through a relentless first set that finished with Juniata taking a 35-33 victory. With neither team giving in, the set saw 22 tie scores and nine lead changes. After the Eagles tied the score, 21-21, neither team was able to create more than a one-point advantage, until Juniata scored the final two points of the set.
The second set continued much like the first, with 18 tie scores and five lead changes. The largest lead of the set was only three points, with the Eagles leading 23-20. The Saints fought back to tie the score, but the Eagles took the win, 26-24, again needing extra points.
In the third, the Eagles took control early, eventually completing the match win.
Tarasi finished second on the team with nine kills. Olson and sophomore Sava Topich paced the defense with six digs, each, and Topich led with 30 assists.
Game Two: Juniata 3, Marymount 1
The Saints hung tough with the No. 13-nationally ranked Eagles in the second match of the afternoon, but Juniata managed to prevail in a tight contest by a final score of three-sets-to-one.
After a back-and-forth opening set that saw Juniata steal a 26-24 victory, MU bounced back with a 25-22 win in the second stanza. The Saints attack fired on all cylinders during the set, with a match-high .522 attack percentage and 13 kills. Kerekes led the charge with four of his 10 kills and a trio of block assists.
Neither side gave an inch during the frame, as the score was tied on 15 occasions. The Saints started to build momentum towards the end of the set, as a miscue from the Eagles and a kill from Tarasi pushed MU ahead, 22-21. Juniata managed to knot the score at 22-22, but Olson rose to the occasion and powered home a kill and a service ace to give Marymount a 24-22 lead. The Saints put the set to bed on the next point, as Harrell and classmate Jason Perkins blocked an attack from Kevin Duffy to seal the set.
Despite the Saints' best efforts, Juniata managed to wrangle the momentum back and take the final two sets. The Eagles offense came alive in the final stages, as the visitors hit .387 and .276 in the third and fourth sets, respectively.
Olson paced MU with 12 kills, while Tarasi and Kerekes finished with 10 apiece. Topich orchestrated Marymount's attack with 36 assists.
Marymount will continue its season in CVC action at Randolph-Macon College on Wednesday, March 3; the first serve is set for 7 p.m.
