Nov. 19, 2009

Box Score

CALIFORNIA - The Clarion University women's volleyball team dropped a gut-wrenching 3-2 decision to Edinboro in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regionals Thursday afternoon at California University of Pennsylvania's Hamer Hall.

The Golden Eagles, who finish the year 26-10, led two sets to one before Edinboro (23-12) rallied to take the final two sets and the match. The scores of the sets were 27-29, 25-20, 25-19, 25-27, 13-15.

During the match, Clarion sophomore Libero Rhianon Brady set the school record for digs in a season. She finished the match with a match-high 25 digs giving her 729 this year, 18 more than the previous record of 711 set by Vicky Gentile in 2004.

On offense, Kellie Bartman led four Clarion hitters with double-digit kills with a team-high 15. She hit .303 (15-5-33) for the match and added eight digs and a block. Anderson added 14 kills and six digs, while Nicole Andrusz and Webb each had 12 kills. Andrusz hit .409 for the match (12-3-22) while adding four blocks, two aces and two digs. Gough had a match-high 41 set assists to go with eight digs and three kills. Alison Bolinger finished her Clarion career by recording a match-high three service aces to go with three digs, and Joy Carey ended her career by recording seven digs.

Williams led Edinboro with 16 kills, while Gina Boothe had 12 and Slauterbeck 10. Megan Osysko had 32 set assists and Maureen Tilert 23 digs.

Edinboro overcame a 24-21 deficit in the first set to get the 29-27 win and take a 1-0 lead. Clarion rallied in the next two sets to go ahead 2-1 and then used a 6-0 run in the fourth set to eventually gain a 23-15 lead. But Edinboro went on a 9-0 run to go ahead 24-23 on a Williams kills before Webb knotted the set at 24 with a kill of her own. A setting error by Edinboro then gave the Golden Eagles a 25-24 lead before a service error retied the set at 25. Slauterbeck then recorded back-to-back kills to give the set to Edinboro and tie the match at two.

In the fifth set, Clarion used an 8-3 run to break a 4-all tie and take the 12-7 lead. But Edinboro once again had the answer going on a 6-0 run to go ahead 13-12 on a Beyaca Martin kill. Clarion wasn't through, though, as Anderson tied the set at 13 on a kill off a set by Gough. But a kill by Slauterbeck and an attack error by the Golden Eagles finished off the match.

NOTES - Clarion's 26 wins ties for the fifth most in a season in school history ... This was Clarion's sixth trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs since 2002. The Golden Eagles are 1-6 in their seven NCAA matches including 1-2 under third-year head coach Jennifer Harrison, who led Clarion to the second round of the tournament in her first season in 2007 ... Clarion is 26-27 all-time in postseason play ... The Golden Eagles have now had eight 20-win seasons in the last nine years.