Box Score

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - Host Juniata pulled away late in each set played as the Eagles rolled past the visiting University of Scranton volleyball team on Saturday evening in the 2017 Landmark Conference Championship match, 3-0 (15-24, 16-25, 21-25).

With the defeat, the Royals are now 35-5 with hopes of still getting an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. The 35-5 record is the best in program history for the Royals, as well.

Juniata, meanwhile, is 23-8 and wins their 11th straight Landmark Conference title with the three-set win over the Royals. Juniata also clinches the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament field with the win, as well.

In the defeat, Scranton came out and played well in the opening set, taking an early 12-9 lead on the Eagles. But, Juniata came back, eventually tying the set up at 14-14, before rolling on an 11-0 run to win the first set in dominating fashion by nine points.

The second set saw Scranton once again remain close early, only to see Juniata go up 15-10 in the middle of the game, and never look back, as they coasted to another nine-point win in a set to go up 2-0 on Scranton.

Scranton tried to fight their way back into the match in the third set and kept it close throughout. But, after cutting the Juniata lead down to 21-20 late, the Eagles rolled off four of the last five points of the game to clinch the three-set victory and the Landmark Conference championship.

Overall, junior Kristin Kirwan (Park Ridge, N.J./Immacualte Heart Academy) led the Royals attack in the defeat with 11 kills. She also finished with eight digs. Elsewhere, freshman setter Kindler Norman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) finished with double-digit assists in a match yet again with 17.

Scranton will now await their fate for a possible at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament field. The bracket will be announced beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Monday.

--ROYALS--