(Posted September 3, 2011)

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- Juniata College women's volleyball had what might be its toughest single day of competition this season prior to NCAA tournament play, taking on a pair of top five opponents at the Wittenberg National Invitational in Springfield, Ohio.

The Eagles (1-2) opened the day with a 3-1 loss to the fifth-ranked host squad from Wittenberg, falling by scores of 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, and 25-22.

Junior opposite Kelsey Fuller (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) tallied a team-high 11 kills in the victory, while rookie middle Christine Sumner (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) logged nine kills to go with six block assists. Fellow freshman Cat Scholl (Austin, Texas/St. Michael's Catholic) finished with eight terminations and had a pair of block assists.

Juniata hit .118 for the match, with setter Courtney Greenberg (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) running the offense and setting 43 assists. Five Eagles finished with double figure dig totals, including Fuller's 11 digs to complete the double-double. Senior libero Libby Morrison (Portland, Ore./Oregon Episcopal School) led the way with 22 digs, while Greenberg had 19.

Wittenberg was led by Kimmie Dyer's 15 kills, while Katie Sumner had 14.

Juniata completed competition at the Wittenberg Invite with a 3-0 loss to No. 2 Emory University in the nightcap, dropping sets by scores of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-21.

With Fuller out of the lineup due to an ankle injury sustained in the Wittenberg match, Juniata picked up some additional kills from Sumner with a team high nine terminations. Junior Ashley Schnader (Reinholds, Pa./Garden Spot) tallied eight kills, while Rachelle Wiegand (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) had six.

Greenberg served up four aces against Emory, and earned 35 assists with a Juniata team hitting at a .113 clip. Morrison sprawled for 27 digs versus Emory, while sophomore pin hitter Amy Miller (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) had 12 digs to go with six kills.

Juniata makes its 2011 home debut on Wednesday night, hosting Saint Vincent College in a 7:00 p.m. match at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center. The Eagles will remain home through the weekend for the annual ASICS Invitational, which will see Randolph-Macon College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Transylvania University all travel to Juniata for matches.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.