Huntingdon, PA - The Cairn men's volleyball team wrapped up the 2017 season with an away match against the Juniata Eagles on Saturday night. The Highlanders fought valiantly against a tough Juniata squad, but fell in straight-sets 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-21). Micah Godshall led the Highlanders with eight kills in the match.
 
In the first set, the Highlanders jumped out to an early lead with a quick 4-1 run to start the set. The run was fueled by three kills from Andy Willits and a fourth from Micah Godshall. The Eagles quickly came back with an 8-3 run to take a 9-7 lead.
 
The Eagles grew their lead to as many as three at 14-11, but struggled to pull away from the Highlanders. Cairn kept the set extremely close, however the Highlanders could not get the run they needed to pull even. The Eagles closed out the set by winning the final two points to earn the 25-21 victory. The four-point margin of victory in the set was their largest of the entire first game.
 
The second set began much like the first with the Highlanders and Eagles trading points for a majority of the set. With the score tied 5-5, the Eagles used a 6-0 run to put some distance between themselves and the Highlanders.
 
Cairn closed the gap to as few as five points on a few occasions, but could not get any closer as the Eagles continued to grow their lead throughout the rest of the set. Juniata led by as many as nine points at 23-14 en route to the 25-18 victory.
 
Trailing 2-0, the Highlanders looked to force a fourth set, but the Eagles fended off Cairn's efforts effectively with a 25-21 decision in the set. The third set, had a similar feel to the first, with the two teams remaining very close throughout the entire game.
 
After a Juniata service error and a Ben Chapman service ace, the Highlanders tied the score at 7-7. Juniata responded by rattling off four-straight points to take an 11-7 lead. Later in the set, Cairn trailed 19-15, but after a Juniata attack error Ben Chapman had his chance to serve. Chapman put down two-straight aces to bring Cairn within one at 19-18. It was as close as the Highlanders would get as the Eagles went on to take the set 25-21 and claim the match 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-21).
 
On Saturday night, seniors Andy Willits and Ben Chapman played in their final match as a Highlander. Willits connected for six kills and two digs while Ben Chapman collected three service aces and assisted on a block.
 
The game marked the end of the 2017 season for the Highlanders. Cairn finishes the year with a 4-27 overall record and a 1-13 record in the CVC.