(Posted December 10, 2002)

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL (33-6, 7-0 Commonwealth):
The Juniata women's volleyball team finished fourth in the nation after two losses at the NCAA National Semifinals. The Eagles dropped a heartbreaking five-game match to the host Wisconsin-Whitewater in the semifinals, and then fell 3-0 to Trinity (Texas) in the consolation game. Against Whitewater, the Eagles won the first two games 30-27, 31-29, then dropped games three and four, 21-30, 28-30 and then lost by the slimmest of margins 13-15 in game five. Niki Mueller (Bishop Guilfoyle/Altoona) and Erin Wisor (Altoona/Altoona) led the Eagles with 17 kills apiece. Carli Dale (Cochranton/Cochranton) had 50 assists, while Johanna Holtan (Fargo North/Fargo, N.D.) had 32 digs for the Eagles. Katie Charles (Manheim Township/Lancaster) and Katie Laucks (West York/York) were both also in double figures in kills, pounding out 15 and 10 respectively. Wisor added four aces in the match. Juniata struggled in the consolation game, as they fell to Trinity 30-20, 30-23, 30-26. Wisor again led the Eagle offense, posting 11 kills. Mueller, playing in her final collegiate match, registered four kills, while Dale had 21 assists in two games and Holtan had 22 digs. Melissa Berdine (Pine-Richland/Gibsonia) passed out 10 assists in the third game, and Abby Leonard (Shade/Johnstown) had 17 digs in the match. Holtan was named to the All-Tournament Team for her play throughout the tournament.

MEN'S BASKETBALL (5-1, 2-0 Commonwealth): Dec 21 at York.
*Commonwealth Conference match
The Eagles stormed out of the gates in Commonwealth Conference play, posting two wins in their first two conference games. The Eagles are one Commonwealth win away from matching their conference win total from all of last year. Juniata opened the week with a 93-73 victory at home over Messiah. Travis Martin (Huntingdon/Huntingdon) led the Eagles with 25 points, while Jeff Lau (York Catholic/Glen Rock) added 21. Martin also had a team-high eight rebounds, as the Eagles shot 56 percent from the field in the game, and 56 percent from the three-point arc. Juniata had its lowest scoring output of the season against conference foe Widener, but still managed to come away with the 73-66 victory. Martin and Lau continued to lead the Eagle offense, as each netted 17 points. Travis Boyd (Juniata Valley/Barree) was also in double figures as he scored 12. Matt Bartholomew (Ephrata/Akron) led the team with four assists, while Martin was again the leader with eight rebounds.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (2-4, 0-2 Commonwealth): Dec 10 vs. Dickinson.
*Commonwealth Conference match
Juniata's women's basketball team opened their conference season by dropping a pair of games. Juniata fell to Messiah 79-51, and then hung with Widener, losing 66-56. Jen LaCount (Westmont Hilltop/Johnstown) led the Eagles with 17 points against Messiah. Jen Uhrich (Palmyra/Palmyra) had nine points and seven rebounds in the loss. Against Widener, Kelly Steinbeiser (Altoona/Altoona) led the Eagle attack with 19 points and 12 rebounds, for her first "double-double" of the season. Uhrich also registered a "double-double" scoring a season-high 18 points, and grabbing a game-best 15 rebounds.

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