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HUNTINGDON, PA -- Seventh-ranked Nazareth disposed of Thiel in three sets 25-15, 25-12, 25-17 in its first match of the Juniata tournament. Junior Alex Houghtalen (Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake, N.Y.) amassed a match-high 14 kills with just three hitting errors for the Golden Flyers. Senior EJ Wells-Spicer (Midlakes/Phelps, N.Y.) had a match-high 34 assists.

The Golden Flyers stretch their winning streak to five matches and have won 10 of their last 11 contests. Nazareth, which currently stands at 12-4 overall, takes on two top-five teams in Saturday's action. The Golden Flyers play second-ranked Springfield at 12 p.m. and fourth-ranked Juniata at 4 p.m. Saturday's 12 p.m. match will be the first contest between Nazareth and Springfield since the Golden Flyers knocked off the Pride in four sets to claim the 2011 Molten National Championship. Thiel falls to 9-6 overall following the loss.

In addition to the kills from Houghtalen, senior Billy Gimello (Hauppauge/Hauppauge, N.Y.) tallied nine kills. Senior Ellis Walsh (Penfield/Penfield, N.Y.) and junior Robert Kraft (Southern Regional/Waretown, N.J.) each had five kills while senior Dan Miranda (Sweet Home/Amherst, N.Y.) and freshman Brody Cord (Del Oro/Loomis, CA) chipped in four kills apiece for the Golden Flyers' balanced attack. Senior Dan Mowery (Midlakes/Phelps, N.Y.) recorded a team-high seven digs and Walsh dominated the net with seven total blocks.

Nazareth recorded 20 kills with just one hitting error in the first set for a hitting percentage of .576 to set the tone for the match. The Golden Flyers followed with 13 kills and two hitting errors for a hitting percentage of .458 in the second set. By comparison, the Golden Flyers allowed Thiel hitting percentages of only .263 in the first set, .077 in the second set, and .000 in the third set. Nazareth also finished the contest with a decisive 5-1 advantage in service aces.

Dante McCoy had a team-high nine kills on 28 attempts for Thiel. Corey Hamilton tallied a team-high 12 assists.