Men’s Volleyball Upsets No. 2 Juniata to Advance to Quarterfinals of NCAA Division III Tournament

HUNTINGDON, PA – Battling No. 2 Juniata and its boisterous home crowd, Wittenberg's Men's Volleyball did not back down, pulling off a stunning upset of the Eagles in a five-set thriller at Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Juniata College on Friday, April 17, in a second-round match of the NCAA Division III Tournament to move on to the quarterfinals.

The Tigers, now on a 13-match win streak, improved to 23-5 overall and will play Messiah College, 26-5, on Saturday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m., again at Juniata College. Juniata, ranked second in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll, ends its season at 29-3. Messiah is ranked No. 8.

"We came out strong in the first game and took them by surprise, capitalizing on their errors," said Jamie Peterson, head coach of men's volleyball. "The boys stayed composed after dropping a close third set and were able to battle back. They found it within themselves to pull off a come-from-behind victory in a tough five-set match. I'm proud of the way they stuck together and had each other's backs. They played with all heart."

A determined Wittenberg squad was down 5-0 in the tiebreaker set but launched a major comeback behind a couple of key kills and blocks to climb back in it. Trailing the entire fifth set, the Tigers tied it at 12-all and forced Juniata into hitting errors to notch the 15-13 win and the overall match in scores of 25-20, 17-25, 24-26, 25-23, and 15-13 to advance.

The Tigers hung with the Eagles, step-by-step and point-for-point in the close match, again spreading out the offense, with five players getting nine or more kills in the big win.  

Reese Monnin (Xenia, OH / Carroll) had a stellar day, leading the team in kills with 14 on 24 total attacks for a .333 hitting percentage. He also led the team in blocks with six.

Harrison Mitchell (Dublin, OH / Scioto) and Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) each tallied 13 kills, Zach Newton (Morgantown, IN / Franklin Community) had 11, and Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) added nine. Monnin ended up with 18 points, Yurk had 14.5, Mitchell had 13.5, Newton had 13, and Halverson added 10.

Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) led the team in assists with 28, and Gavin Hagerty (Fishers, IN / Fishers) added 22. Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford) had a team-high 13 digs, while Yurk added 12, and Halverson grabbed nine. Newton added four blocks.

The winners of the third-round matches will square off on Saturday, April 18, for the right to advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals on Thursday, April 23, at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. The national championship match will take place on Saturday, April 25, also at Springfield College.

Ironically, Wittenberg Women's Volleyball also pulled an upset of Juniata during their most recent season, winning 3-2 on Sept. 12, 2025. Hosting the nation's No. 1-ranked team and three-time defending national champion in Juniata, Wittenberg rose to the occasion, winning by set scores of 23–25, 25–14, 25–20, 20–25, 15–13. Coming into the match, Juniata had won 103 straight matches, a streak that defined their recent dominance over Division III women's volleyball.

Team Comparison

• Wittenberg had 64 kills on 153 total attacks for a .268 hitting percentage, along with 59 assists, three service aces, 55 digs, and 16 blocks.
• Juniata registered 66 kills on 155 total attacks for a .277 hitting percentage, along with 63 assists, six service aces, 55 digs, and 10 blocks.

Written by: Cindy Holbrook