HUNTINGTON, Pa. (March 25, 2015) – Seniors Kevin Aeckerle and Ryan Seifert led the No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team past No. 4 Juniata College on Wednesday.
 
This was the second time the Ducks have knocked off the Eagles this season, as they knocked off the then No. 1 team in the nation in straight sets back on February 7 at The Clash at Kean tournament. Both teams now pose an identical 21-4 record. The scores of the match were 25-22, 25-22, 22-25 and 25-20.
 
Juniata was able to jump out to an early 8-4 lead in the opening stanza by taking advantage of unforced errors and back-to-back double blocks by senior Joe Bortak and sophomore Kyle Seeley. Stevens went on a 3-0 with sophomore Jordan Stuart serving and kills from senior David Evans and Seifert. The Eagles countered back with an identical run to stretch their lead to 11-7 after blocks from juniors Chad Albert and Matt Elias. The Ducks battled back and took a 16-15 advantage after a pair of attack errors and a kill from Stuart. Juniata rallied to tie the set at 21 after a kill by senior Paul Kuhn but kills from Seifert and junior Tim Ferriter brought up set point. After the Eagles forced a side-out, the Ducks ended set one a kill from Evans.
 
After trading the first 16 points of set two, Stevens used a 6-2 run to pull ahead 14-10. Juniata cut the deficit down to a point on a double block from Albert and Bortak plus a kill from Albert. Stuart served three straight points extending the Ducks lead to 20-14, chipping in a service ace during the run. The Eagles would not go away and used kills from Albert, Bortak and senior Justin Waldorf to cut the lead to 21-19. The teams swapped the next six points with Juniata fending off one set point, but Ferriter punctuated the set with a kill from junior John Eddins.
 
Much like the opening period, Juniata jumped out to an 8-4 lead. During the opening run Bortak, Seeley, and Waldorf all added kills for the home team. The hosts reopened a four point advantage courtesy of back-to-back double blocks by Elias and Albert. Evans helped the Ducks knot the set at 19 by recording a kill and an ace. After a ball handling error by Juniata tied everything at 21, the Eagles closed the set out with a 4-1 run to make the match two sets to one.
 
Stevens trailed 4-2 early in the fourth stanza but quickly tied it after an Evans kill and a double block by Stuart and Ferriter. The Ducks took their first lead in the middle of the set, using a 6-2 run capped off by a Ferriter kill to jump ahead 15-12. Juniata was able to cut the deficit to one point, but Evans scored five points to bring up match point. The Eagles fended off two straight game-ending points before Seifert ended the match with a kill.
 
The Ducks hit .220 as a unit, including .320 in set two and .308 in the final set. The Eagles hit .268 overall, including a match high .444 in the third period. Seifert led the way with 19 kills while Evans chipped in nine kills and two service aces. Aeckerle finished with a double-double of 26 assists and 12 digs.
 
Juniata placed three players in double digit kills; Kuhn with 14, Waldorf with 10 and Bortak had 15. Elias had a match-high 47 assists and nine digs while sophomore Tommy Keisling had 11 digs.
 
Stevens ended their 13-match road trip with a 12-1 record and will return to the friendly confines of Canavan Arena Saturday for a United Volleyball Conference tri-match against Penn State-Behrend and Vassar College starting at 11 a.m.
 
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