CLARION – For the third time in four years, the Clarion University women's volleyball team is in the PSAC Semifinals.

 

But this time it's different. This time, for the first time in school history, the Golden Eagles are hosting the semifinal and championship matches at Clarion's Tippin Gym Friday and Saturday.

 

The semifinals will be Friday at 5 p.m. (Edinboro vs. Lock Haven) and 7:30 p.m. (Clarion vs. Kutztown) with the title match set for 7 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $7 for adults, $2 for non-PSAC-member students and free for PSAC-member students with a valid ID.

 

And Friday night's Clarion (27-4) match with Kutztown (21-10) will also be a White Out Tippin Gym event with all Golden Eagle fans being asked to wear white. White t-shits will also be given to the first 250 Clarion students with a valid ID starting at 6:45 p.m.

 

“Anytime you can play on your own court, it's a benefit,” Clarion's fourth-year head coach Jennifer Harrison said. “And especially when you have a crowd like we have. We are very lucky to have a lot of people following our success and getting behind us. Our crowd the other night against Gannon (a 3-0 first-round playoff win) was tremendous. And I expect another great crowd Friday night.”

 

This is Clarion's seventh trip all time to the PSAC Semifinals with the Golden Eagles, who won the first PSAC-West championship in school history this year, going 4-2 in the first six including 1-1 under Harrison. Clarion has won one PSAC Title (1988 3-1 over Edinboro) and last reached the PSAC Championship match in 2007, Harrison's first season, when it lost to California 3-0.

 

Last year, the Golden Eagles fell 3-0 at Lock Haven in the semifinals, but Harrison believes that experience will help them this season.

 

“Experience is experience,” Harrison said. “We now have players who have been here and done it. It relaxes you. Last year, we had a full team who had never done it before.

 

“At the same time, there is always the added stress of the playoffs, and Kutztown is a good team.”

 

This is the second meeting of the season between Clarion and Kutztown. The Golden Eagles topped the Golden Bears 3-1 Oct. 8 at Clarion in a PSAC Crossover by scores of 25-14, 22-25, 25-21, 25-15. Kutztown, the second-place team from the PSAC-East, and PSAC-East champion Lock Haven were the only two teams from the PSAC-East to win a set against Clarion in PSAC Crossover play this season with both squads losing 3-1 to the Golden Eagles.

 

“Kutztown, No. 1, is a good team,” Harrison said. “They are a well-trained team, a very physical team, a good-blocking team. We struggled against them the first time because of their ability to block, so we go in with the knowledge that it isn't going to be an easy match. Hopefully, that will help us focus.”

 

Clarion is led by junior outside hitter Kellie Bartman who has a team-high 368 kills (3.5 per set) while adding 244 digs (2.32 per set), 60 blocks (0.57 per set) and a .242 hitting percentage.

 

“I'm really happy with the way she has progressed as a player,” Harrison said. “She is so much more comfortable on the court.”

 

While Bartman is the leader of the offense, she has plenty of company.

 

Fellow junior outside hitter Kaitlyn Anderson is adding 226 kills (2.72 per set) and 179 digs (2.16 per set), sophomore middle hitter Rebecca Webb chips in 215 kills (2.07 per set) and a team-high 102 blocks (0.98 per set), freshmen middle hitter Corinne Manley has 204 kills (2.06 per set) and 74 blocks (0.75 per set) and freshman middle hitter/outside hitter Hannah Heeter adds 142 kills (1.56 per set) and 50 blocks (0.55 per set).

 

Junior setter Amanda Gough runs the offense with 927 set assists (9.56 per set) while adding 76 kills, 237 digs (2.44 per set) and 39 blocks.

 

Junior Libero Rhianon Brady is the leader on defense with 670 digs (6.32 per set), which is a Top 10 per set average in the nation. Junior defensive specialist Kayla Rodak is adding 214 digs (2.02 per set), while senior middle hitter Nicole Andrusz has been a spark as of late and has 13 blocks and 35 kills.

 

“Everyone in the gym has really stepped up this year,” Harrison said. “We have so much competition in our gym right now that it's making everyone better.”

 

Kutztown is led by a four-some of players with over 200 kills each.

 

Senior left-side hitter Lindsay Confer leads the group with 244 kills (2.46 per set) while junior right-side hitter Caitlin Hess adds 223 (1.99 per set), junior right-side hitter Cali Snell 217 (1.9 per set) and junior left-side hitter Erin Kissling 207 (2.16 per set).

 

The Golden Bears run a two-setter offense with Dana Wright having 496 set assists (4.35 per set) and Kimberlee Gomber 467 (4.06 per set). Senior Libero Jamie Celia leads the defense with 490 digs (4.90 per set) with junior Libero Lindsey Smith adding 259 dogs (2.47 per set). Kissling chips in with 245 digs (2.55 per set).

 

Junior middle hitter Katie Lutz has a team-best 152 blocks (1.36 per set) with Snell adding 92 blocks (0.81 per set) and sophomore middle hitter Brianna Risch 84 (0.79 per set).

 

NOTES – This is the first-ever PSAC Playoff meeting between Clarion and Kutztown and the second postseason meeting between the teams. Kutztown beat Clarion 3-0 in the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Division II Tournament at Lock Haven … The PSAC Champion gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament but the conference is also in line to get some at-large berths as well. Clarion is looking to make the NCAA D-II Tournament for the second year in a row and for the seventh time since 2002. The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 2 in the Atlantic Region in the latest regional poll released Wednesday. The NCAA Selection show will be Nov. 14 and the show will be streamed on-line at www.ncaa.com starting at 10 p.m.