Box Score

Stevenson, MD - After a 2-week break, the Crimson Eagles' men's volleyball team was back in action on Friday. The time off didn't seem to do them any favors.

The 13-6 Eagles of Juniata College came out ready to play and quickly jumped to an early 9-5 lead. PBU cut the lead down to 2 points at 10-8 before Juniata would increase it back to 17-11. At that point, Juniata closed out the first set on an 8-2 run which saw them score the final 5 points of the set, taking it 25-16.

That first set did little to knock off the rust for the Crimson Eagles as they dropped the second set 25-15. Josh Tuttle (Eastport, NY / Eastport) scored the set's first point for PBU but then watched Juniata roll of the next 6 points to create a 6-1 lead they never relinquished. Despite no other major runs by either team, the second set was like a trip to the dentist for the Crimson Eagles. You know the end result, it couldn't be happening any slower, but there's nothing you can do about it.

The third set was almost a breath of fresh air and you could see the sharpness returning to the Crimson Eagles. After dropping the first point, PBU lead almost the entirety of the set. At one point, PBU held a 6 point advantage 19-14. Up by 5 points with only 6 to go to record the win and force a 4th set, the Crimson Eagles seemed sure to extend the contest.  However, a quiet comeback from Juniata seemed to catch the Crimson Eagles off guard and come out of nowhere. Juniata somehow managed to come from behind without a major run until the very end. The Crimson Eagles led 21-15, then 23-18, and then a few points later a kill by Josh Tuttle saw PBU one point away from a 4th set, leading 24-21. Then the unthinkable happened. The Eagles of Juniata ran off five straight points to steal the win 26-24 and secure the sweep over the Crimson Eagles, 3-0.

Noah Prickett (Yardley, PA / Pennsbury) led the Crimson Eagles with 8 kills and 8 digs for a solid overall performance. He was outdone on the offensive end by Juniata's Ross Madden who recorded 12 kills for a game-high.

On a positive note, the Crimson Eagles limited their serve errors to only 10. If Coach Fuller can get his squad in single digits, the rest of the season should see an improvement in the overall play.

The loss is the first in the brand new nationwide Continental Volleyball Conference for Philadelphia Biblical University. Overall, PBU falls to 4-11.

Juniata records their second CVC win and are now 2-0 in conference play. Overall, the Eagles are 14-6.

Staying in Maryland, the Crimson Eagles will face off against conference opponents Thiel College and Eastern Mennonite on Saturday, March 3.