HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Messiah women's volleyball concluded the Juniata Invitational on Saturday with matches against Stevens and No. 3 Juniata. The Falcons hung tough against Stevens, but fell by a 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-15, 24-26, 15-8) final. Messiah capped off their weekend with a match against No. 3 Juniata, falling by a 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-16) final score.

The Falcons move to 14-6 on the season and will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Albright to take on the Lions at 7:00 p.m. in a MAC Commonwealth match.
 
Stevens defeats Messiah – 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-15, 24-26, 15-8)
The Falcons and Ducks battled back and forth in Messiah's first match of the day on Saturday. The Ducks claimed the opening set by a score of 25-22, but Messiah responded by winning the second set by a 25-21 score. In that second set, Messiah used a 5-0 run late in the set to take a lead they would not give up.
 
Messiah opened the third set looking to take control of the match. An 8-0 Messiah run gave the Falcons an 8-3 lead, but the Ducks ended the set on a 22-7 run to take the set 25-15 and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Stevens looked like they were going to easily take the fourth set, holding a 24-18 lead. With the Falcons facing match point, Chaney Barnhart earned a kill to spark an 8-0 run that ended the set in the Falcons favor, 26-24. During the run, Mackenzie Feight picked up three kills while Caitlin Lielbriedis picking up an ace.
 
Despite holding the momentum at the end of the fourth set, Messiah was unable to hold on in the fifth. With the fifth set tied 5-5, Stevens rattled off nine-straight to take a 14-5 lead. Messiah earned three-straight points off of attack errors, but Stevens closed out the set 15-8 and the match 3-2.
 
Mackenzie Feight finished with a team-high 11 kills in the match while Emma Swartz dished out 27 assists. A total of five Falcons finished with double-digit digs in the match, led by Maddy Eby's 21.

No. 3 Juniata defeats Messiah - 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-16)
The Falcons hung tough with the nationally-ranked Eagles at the start of the opening set. Messiah actually held a 6-5 lead after a Rachel Garrett service ace, but Juniata ripped off a 12-2 run to take a commanding 17-8 lead late in the set. Messiah hung around, but was not able to complete the comeback, dropping hte opening set 25-15.

In the second set, the Falcons once again started the set strong, holding a 15-14 lead midway through the set. However, just like the first, Juniata rattled off a massive run to turn the tides in their favor. The Eagles went on a 10-1 run to finish the set and take a 2-0 lead.

Juniata continued to put pressure on the Falcons, taking a lead from the start and steadily building it throughout the set. Messiah however won four-straight points late in the set to pull within four at 19-15. Julia Bowen highlighted the run with two kills for Messiah. Juniata once again closed out the set strong with a 6-1 run to claim the set 25-16 and the match 3-0.

Maddy Eby was named to the All-Tournamanet team after a strong weekend for the Falcons.

What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Tuesday when they head to Albright to take on the Lions in a MAC Commonwealth match 7:00 p.m.