Huntingdon Co., PA (WJAC) — A local college volleyball team was crowned national champions on Saturday.
Juniata College capped off another year of domination last weekend, winning their second straight D3 women's volleyball championship.
They've played 70 games since 2022 and they've only lost one.
"It seems like a fairytale right now."
Juniata College is making their place as a juggernaut in Division Three women’s volleyball.
The Eagles defeated Hope International three sets to zero in Saturday’s championship match.
If a 62-game win streak doesn't illustrate their dominance enough, the team only dropped one set in the 64-team tournament, never letting opponents manifest a realistic chance at victory.
Head coach Heather Pavlik said her athletes worked hard, as expected, but there's another element to the success they've had.
"A lot of hard work, a lot of time in the gym, but we have a group of people here who genuinely like each other too and that goes a long way. When difficult things come up, there's obstacles in your path, the fact that you can go back to those relationships is so important."
Juniata now boasts four Division Three trophies in women's volleyball: winning the first couple in 2004 and 2006.
They became the first back-to-back champions since Central Iowa’s run from 1998 to 2000.
The Eagles also brought home several individual honors, with a couple players named to the all-tournament team and Olivia Foley being named the Most Outstanding Player.
Foley said even though the team brought in several accomplishments, winning was always center stage.
"Having that mentality on our team, starting from the upper classmen all the way down to the sophomore class, is everything. People just want to win and if we make history that's a bonus."
Casey Dale also won Assistant Coach of the Year and he shared the same sentiment.
"It's a pretty cool feeling to be acknowledged as the National Assistant Coach of the Year but honestly the championship means way more than that."
This year also marked the fourth undefeated regular season for Juniata; between the tournament and regular season, they only dropped five total sets.
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