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No. 2 Juniata Defeats No. 3 Saint Francis to Advance to EIVA Championship Match

Reporter: Mark Myers
Special to EIVAvollyball.com

On match point, as he had done for the majority of the match, St. Francis' Shane Conley sent a pass to one of his outside hitter, but this time the Juniata combination of Dan Powers and Matt Werle were ready.

The stuff-block of St Francis star Jordan Varee's attempt was a quick and sudden end to the Red Flash's season, which was looking to advance to a third EIVA Final in the last four years.

"That's my favorite way to end a game," Powers said of his game-ending block.

Werle and Powers' emphatic end to the fourth set sent the Eagles to the EIVA Final for the first time in the history of the program. In front of an evenly split, equally loud Rec Hall crowd, Juniata defeated St. Francis 3-1 (30-28, 26-30, 30-26, 33-31) in the EIVA Semifinals.

The Eagles used four Red Flash hitting errors, including two from Jordan Varee, to rally from a 17-10 deficit to pull within one. Even though Juniata didn't even the score, the Eagles' bench felt the tide change. Senior setter Werle called it, "a match changer."

Prior to the fourth set, the Eagles offense was dominated by middle hitters Powers and junior Evan Halteman. The latter lead the way with 15 kills and a .682 hitting percentage. But it was the timely sets to the outside by Werle to sophomore Chris Vrooman and junior Zach Wanner down the stretch of the final set that made the difference in the match.

"I think finally about halfway through game four, when we were down seven, that we finally started to pass and run our offense," Juniata College coach Jeremy Price said.

The final set for St. Francis was full missed opportunities. From the loss of a seven-point lead to the inability to get a match point after tying the score at 29, the Red Flash never cashed in when the situation called for it.

"All season we've just struggled with one server every match and [Halteman] was putting the ball wherever he wanted to," Conley said. "It was tough to pass and we just couldn't get a sideout. All the credit goes to Juniata there for getting the job done."

Despite the lapses in execution, the Red Flash's hustle was on full display, especially from freshman libero John Wapple. Wapple, who set a career high for digs with 23, garnered the loudest "oohs" of the night when he chased down a ball that was easily 15 to 20 feet behind the backline.

"I love watching the speed of that kid and his demeanor on the court," a dejected St. Francis coach Mike Rumbaugh said. "He got the responsibility of the starting role and he just seems to keep plugging away."

A complete 180 of emotions, Price, with a baby on his lap, spoke calmly as he fielded questions after his team became what is believed to be the first Division III Men's Volleyball team to compete for an NCAA Semifinal berth.

Despite the possible monumental achievement, the second-year coach was as self-critical as he would be in mid-February.

"It wasn't the prettiest match that we've played all year. Definitely the best team we've seen in the last month," Price said. "Obviously, I'm pleased with the outcome."



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Conference News 2005-06 \| 2006-07 \| 2007-08 \| 2008-09 \| 2009-10 No. 2 Juniata Defeats No. 3 Saint Francis to Advance to EIVA Championship Match Reporter: Mark Myers Special to EIVAvollyball.com On match point, as he had done for the majority of the match, St. Francis' Shane Conley sent a pass to one of his outside hitter, but this time the Juniata combination of Dan Powers and Matt Werle were ready. The stuff-block of St Francis star Jordan Varee's attempt was a quick and sudden end to the Red Flash's season, which was looking to advance to a third EIVA Final in the last four years. "That's my favorite way to end a game," Powers said of his game-ending block. Werle and Powers' emphatic end to the fourth set sent the Eagles to the EIVA Final for the first time in the history of the program. In front of an evenly split, equally loud Rec Hall crowd, Juniata defeated St. Francis 3-1 (30-28, 26-30, 30-26, 33-31) in the EIVA Semifinals. The Eagles used four Red Flash hitting errors, including two from Jordan Varee, to rally from a 17-10 deficit to pull within one. Even though Juniata didn't even the score, the Eagles' bench felt the tide change. Senior setter Werle called it, "a match changer." Prior to the fourth set, the Eagles offense was dominated by middle hitters Powers and junior Evan Halteman. The latter lead the way with 15 kills and a .682 hitting percentage. But it was the timely sets to the outside by Werle to sophomore Chris Vrooman and junior Zach Wanner down the stretch of the final set that made the difference in the match. "I think finally about halfway through game four, when we were down seven, that we finally started to pass and run our offense," Juniata College coach Jeremy Price said. The final set for St. Francis was full missed opportunities. From the loss of a seven-point lead to the inability to get a match point after tying the score at 29, the Red Flash never cashed in when the situation called for it. "All season we've just struggled with one server every match and [Halteman] was putting the ball wherever he wanted to," Conley said. "It was tough to pass and we just couldn't get a sideout. All the credit goes to Juniata there for getting the job done." Despite the lapses in execution, the Red Flash's hustle was on full display, especially from freshman libero John Wapple. Wapple, who set a career high for digs with 23, garnered the loudest "oohs" of the night when he chased down a ball that was easily 15 to 20 feet behind the backline. "I love watching the speed of that kid and his demeanor on the court," a dejected St. Francis coach Mike Rumbaugh said. "He got the responsibility of the starting role and he just seems to keep plugging away." A complete 180 of emotions, Price, with a baby on his lap, spoke calmly as he fielded questions after his team became what is believed to be the first Division III Men's Volleyball team to compete for an NCAA Semifinal berth. Despite the possible monumental achievement, the second-year coach was as self-critical as he would be in mid-February. "It wasn't the prettiest match that we've played all year. Definitely the best team we've seen in the last month," Price said. "Obviously, I'm pleased with the outcome."