GRANTHAM, Pa. - On Tuesday night, the Messiah men's volleyball team struggled to find a grove, falling to the No. 11 Juniata Eagles 3-1 (27-25, 20-25, 25-14, 25-16) on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. Messiah had a chance to take the opening set, but could not convert late. After snagging the second set by a 25-20 score, Messiah leveled the match, but Juniata controlled the rest of the match with set victories of 25-14 and 25-16 to earn the 3-1 victory.
 
In the loss, Messiah hit at a .051 clip with 37 kills and 32 errors. The Eagles were more efficient, hitting at a .247 mark, also with 37 kills, but just 17 errors.
 
Mason Nissley led the Falcons with 11 kills, but Nate Bowman hit at a .545 clip with seven kills on just 11 total attempts. Jared Keul picked up four service aces while Matt Knab finished with 24 assists.
 
Messiah falls to 2-3 on the season and will be back in action on Thursday when they host the Immaculata Mighty Macs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
 
Falcons Have Chance Early
Messiah was on the front foot for the first few points of the opening set, holding leads of 5-3 and 7-5 before the Eagles rattled off five-straight points to take a 10-7 advantage. The Falcons responded with an 8-2 run to take the lead back at 15-12 with Nate Bowman picking up a pair of kills off of sets from Jared Keul during the streak.
 
After Juniata took the lead back at 19-18, Messiah went on a 5-2 streak to take a key 23-21 after an ace from Jared Keul. Needing just two points to clinch the set, Messiah allowed a kill from Juniata before back-back Falcons' hitting errors gave the Eagles set point at 24-23. Messiah fought it off with a kill from Mason Nissley. A kill from Conner Stauffer followed and now Messiah had a chance to claim the set, leading 25-24. A service error tied things up and Juniata won the next two points on a service ace and a Messiah attacking error.
 
In total, Juniata won six of the final eight points to win the set, 27-25.
 
Messiah Levels the Match
Juniata used their momentum from the first to build a 6-1 lead. Messiah quickly went to work with an 8-2 run, flipping the score in favor of the Falcons at 9-8.The Falcons continued their strong play, building a 14-11 lead on a pair of kills from Bowman, an ace from Nissley, and a kill from Matt Knab.
 
The Falcons and Eagles traded points until the score stood even at 17-17. A kill from Jacob Hamm sparked a clutch 5-0 Messiah run that gave the Falcons a 22-17 lead. That cushion was enough as Messiah claimed the set 25-20 on an attack error from the Eagles.
 
Juniata Runs Away
The second set, leveled the match at 1-1, but that proved to be as close as the Falcons could get. Juniata controlled the third and fourth sets, using sizable runs midway through both sets to put the Falcons away.
 
In the third, it was a 12-2 run that turned a tie game into a 19-9 lead for the Eagles. They would eventually go on to win the set 25-24. In the match-clinching set, Juniata went on a 10-3 run to close out the match, winning the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1.
 
What's Up Next
The loss drops the Falcons to 2-3 on the season. Messiah will be back in action on Thursday when they host the Immaculata Mighty Macs for the first-ever meeting between the Falcons and Mighty Macs. The match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.