(Posted September 8, 2004)

Huntingdon, Pa. - Juniata College women's volleyball coach Larry Bock has moved within two victories of the 1,000 victory plateau as the Eagles prepare for play at the Ashland (Ohio) Invitational this weekend. Bock currently stands at 998 victories and will head to the tournament with four matches on the schedule. His pursuit of 1,000 wins led to a feature story in the September 8 edition of USA Today.

The tournament this weekend features a strong field of Division II teams, including 13th-ranked Walsh University who will be Juniata's first opponent on Friday. The Eagles will play Shippensburg Friday night, with the 1,000th victory conceivably within reach. Juniata will wrap up competition against West Virginia Wesleyan, and Edinboro on Saturday. All matches in which Bock may reach the milestone victory will be broadcast live on WKVR (92.3 FM) and streamed on the Juniata website.

The 1,000th victory will mark one more notch on Bock's resume, which is already among the most impressive in collegiate athletics. His current total of 998 victories is the most of any NCAA collegiate volleyball coach in any division, and he boasts a winning percentage of .857. He has lead Juniata to the NCAA Tournament in all 23 seasons it has been played, and has advanced to the national semifinals 18 times.

He has been selected by his peers as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Coach of the Year three times, and has been the regional Coach of the Year on seven occasions. This past winter he was one of 23 people inducted into the inaugural class of the AVCA Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

In 28 seasons as a coach Bock has guided 28 AVCA All-Americans, the most of any NCAA volleyball institution regardless of division. Juniata holds a 66-18 all-time record against Division I opponents, and also have an NCAA-record 264-match conference winning streak, which dates back to 1981.

Juniata has opened the 2004 season with a record of 3-1, and are ranked eighth in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Poll. The Eagles have two returning first-team All-Americans on the team, and four players who have earned All-Region honors during their careers.

Juniata College will be holding a celebration commemorating Bock's 1,000th victory and celebrating his career on September 14 following Juniata's conference opener against Albright. The ceremony will be held in Memorial Gym in the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center, and will begin approximately 10 minutes after the conclusion of the match.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.