Juniata sweeps St. John Fisher in KP’S Division III Game Of The Week
Number 13th ranked St. John Fisher traveled to number sixth ranked Juniata to play in KP’S NCAA D III Match of the Week. Juniata had full control of the match and showed their dominance by sweeping the Cardinals (25-16, 25-20, 25-13). After the match Juniata Head Coach Glenn DeHaven shared his thoughts on the match, “We did a really nice job in first contact. We created a lot of pressure from the service line and on the flip side, passed the ball really well which allowed us to get our middles involved early and often.”
The Eagles and they hit an impressive .566 and forced St. John Fisher to hit .179 for the match. Tyler Goldborough finished with 13 kills and hit .733 for the Eagles. Luke Hoffman added 11 kills while hitting .769. Out of the middle Chris Mellor had a perfect night earning seven kills on seven swings. “Tyler and Luke have been a veteran presence for us all year. I was very excited when they decided to come back for a fifth season. They bring us a ton of experience and firepower. Our setters, Grant Lorelli and Will Sierer deserve a lot of credit for our .566 hitting percentage,” said Coach DeHaven.
Throughout most of the match the Eagles passed well and stayed in system to get their middles going. Establishing the middle is important to the Eagles and it opens up their whole offense. “As for the middles, it is very much who we are. We have embraced the quote: “run the damn ball.” When we say it, we are referring to setting and dominating the middle,” said Coach Dehaven. Mellor took that mantra to heart by hitting 1000% for the match. “Chris has come a long way from last year. His strength is his size playing off one foot. His biggest improvement has come at processing the game. Huge shout out to our newest staff member Wil McPhillips who has brought a ton of experience and energy to our middles,” said Coach Dehaven.
The Eagles physicality from the service line, attacking and block played a huge factor in the match. “They played well in every aspect of the game and kept us off balance the entire match. Juniata had an answer for everything we did and looked like a final four team in my opinion,” said St. John Fisher Head Coach Matt Cohen.
Graduate student Griffin Stella recorded eight kills and hit .636 for the Cardinals. Senior setter Gavin Newman dished out twenty assists while running the offense. “Griffen continued to do what he has done for us all season for us. His ability as a 6’2 middle to score like he does continues to amaze me. The commitment he has made to his body with the way he eats, trains and focuses on proper recovery is something I hope all our guys will learn from,” siad Coach Cohen.
The Cardinals will have to quickly regroup because they have a big match against number three ranked Vassar on Saturday, March 1st. While the Eagles host Kean on Friday, February 28th.
Juniata College:
Notable men’s volleyball alumni:
Matt Werle 09′ (4X All American, 07′ D3 National Player of the Year – 07′)(Former GCU Head Coach, Current Associate Head Coach at Kansas.)
Joe Bortak 15′ (4X All American)(Head Coach M&W Chatham)
Dennis Hohenshelt 94′ (Former Assistant Coach PSU Women and Men (4 National Championships), Former Head Coach UVA.)
Kevin Duffy 22′ (4X All American)
Tim Shawaryn 98′ (Juniata Athletics Hall of Fame 08’/ All Time Leader in Kills 1,655)
Chris Fazio 97′ (National Player of the year 97′, PA Volleyball Hall of Fame 03′, Juniata Athletics Hall of Fame 07′, EIVA Hall of Fame 17′) Played Professionally in Austria 99′ and 00’.
Kenny Eiser 04′ (National Player of the Year 04′)
Ricky Ziegler 05′ (National Player of the Year 05′)
Volleyball History:
35 Season
639 – 392 – 4 Overall Record
6 National Championship (98′, 04′ 05′ 06′ 07′ 09′)
2 National Runner Ups (03′ 14′)
13 Conference Championships (92′ 93′ 94′ 98′ 99′ 03′ 04′ 05 ’06’ 13′ 14′ 17′ 23′)
52 All Americans
2 National Coaches of the Year (Ken Shibuya 04′, Jeremy Price 09′)
4 National Players of the Year (Chris Fazio 97′, Kenny Eiser 04′, Ricky Ziegler 05′, Matt Werle 07′)
Conference: CVC (Continental Volleyball Conference)
Current/Former Head Coaches: Glenn DeHaven 07′ (2017-Present), Pat Shawaryn 04′ (2014-2016, Current – PSU Men’s Assistant Coach), Kevin Moore 02′ (2011-2014, Currently with USA Volleyball NTDP), Jeremy Price (2007-20110, Currently Head Coach at Queens University), Ken Shibuya (2003-2006, Former Stanford Associate Head Coach.), Ryan Patton 94′ (97-02, Current Mercyhurst Women’s Head Coach.), Dennis Hohenshelt 94′ (96, Former PSU Men’s and Women’s Assistant coach), Larry Bock (Started Program in 1990, 90-95, Juniata Women’s Head Coach 34 Years, Former Head Coach United States Naval Academy.)
Making an impact on the community:
Juniata Men’s Volleyball has created a great relationship with our Huntingdon Community Center. Over the past three years they have helped clean up and renovate their space. The Eagles have also run free clinics for local children at the HCC.
Academics:
The college is located in Huntingdon, PA (Central Pennsylvania)
Private Institution
1400 Students: 34 States and Territories/26 Country’s Represented.
11:1 Student to Faculty Ratio/75% of Classes have less than 20 Students
Programs of Emphasis enable you to create a field of study that interests you
At Juniata we have programs of emphasis (POEs) and secondary emphases rather than the traditional majors/minors system. Students work with their academic advisors to identify what they are passionate about, explore endless opportunities, and ultimately design an education that aligns with their future goals and career interests.
- Core courses expand your horizons
- Real-world experiences, such as research, internships, and study abroad, create career momentum
- Actively engaged faculty are committed to helping you succeed
- A two-adviser system provides each student with two resources for academic support
- Juniata prides themselves on being a college that is steeped in rich history and unique customs that set us apart from others. From their legendary Mountain Day celebration to their exhilarating Lobsterfest, the traditions are as diverse as they are exciting.
St. John Fisher:
Notable men’s volleyball alumni:
Josh Bigford – Four time All American, current men’s head and women’s assistant coach at Hartwick College.
David Cerqua – Two time All American, current men’s assistant coach at Hobart College.
Volleyball History:
One UVC conference championship, and two NCAA Appearances 2022, 2023.
Coaches:
2023-present, Matt Cohen 61-15 current record
2020-2022 Stephen England 46-18 overall record
2018-2019 Kelly Greapentrog 34-29 overall record
Making an impact on the community:
Package and deliver Thanksgiving meals to seniors, participate in the Wegman’s East Ave Grocery Run for East High Food Pantry.
Academics:
Located in Rochester, NY with 38 undergraduate, 8 masters, and 2 doctoral programs. The private school has 2400 undergrad and 800 graduate students.
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