Eagles perch on 76th consecutive win
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HUNTINGDON -- Juniata College moved up on the all-time winning streak list in collegiate women's volleyball last weekend.
The Lady Eagles earned their 76th match victory in a row, giving them second place in the history books. Penn State holds the No. 1 spot with 109 straight wins from 2007 to 2010.
"Winning this many games in a row is a nice accomplishment for a program that has been really successful from the very start. The right groundwork was done many years ago by Larry Bock and he really set up the framework for what the program is doing now at present time. There has been a lot of consistency over the years and that really does help with keeping the program playing at a very high level," Juniata coach Heather Pavlik explained.
With Juniata winning national championships and playing stellar volleyball on the court, the Eagles have not focused on their winning streak.
"We have not spent any time focusing on the streak. Most of the time we don't realize what number we are at or bring awareness to it before games or practices. We just go out and compete to the best of our ability and let everything else fall into place. We try to only focus on a win or loss for 24 hours and then move on to the next game ahead of us. No, there is no focus on surpassing Penn State," senior Abbey Telesz noted.
Juniata volleyball has done plenty of winning. That includes winning back-to-back national titles (2022 and 2023) and recording 42 consecutive conference championships.
Where does a 76-match winning streak land on the accomplishment list?
"It is a great achievement for this program and comes from each individual giving their all both in the practice gym and on game days. However, I don't feel we pride ourselves on extending the streak, rather, we pride ourselves on whether we got better mentally or physically that practice or game. It is amazing to be making history in the volleyball world but we often times just focus on playing and enjoying the moment," Telesz said.
The Eagles have a chance to extend their winning streak at 7 p.m. Friday against Elizabethtown, which is also Juniata's Dig Pink Match. Juniata is 14-0 so far this season and are 2-0 in the Landmark Conference.
The Eagles are hungry for more tally marks in the win column, but they have taken some time to enjoy major victories.
"We don't spend a lot of time focusing on all the wins we have amassed. We do celebrate big wins, along with this streak and making history. However, in our day-to-day we don't really focus on it. At times it feels more surreal when others bring up the fact that we have continued to go undefeated. When looking back on my four years here, I often find myself in slight awe that the last time we lost was the beginning of my sophomore year. It isn't a common thought, but it is something to be proud of," Telesz added.
Pavlik mentioned that it can feel surreal when taking time to think about the Eagles' winning ways.
"It does feel surreal sometimes. There are moments when all of us really have a chance to sit back and realize how much winning has happened over the course of time and especially over the last three to four years and it is amazing when you have the time to think about it," the coach said.
This winning streak is another achievement Juniata College can be thankful for. But, at this current pace the Eagles are far from finished when it comes to adding to their list of milestones.