Clarion's Postseason History
CLARION – For the third time this season and the second time in four days the Clarion University women's volleyball team will take on Gannon, but this time a lot more is at stake as the teams meet in the PSAC Quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Clarion's Tippin Gym.
If Clarion wins the match, the Golden Eagles will host the PSAC Semifinals and Championship game Friday and Saturday at Tippin Gym.
But in order to get the victory, Clarion will have to beat a team in Gannon that has been as evenly matched with Clarion as any team it has faced this season. The teams spilt their regular-season matches with each getting a 3-2 win on its home court.
Clarion (26-4 overall, 17-2 PSAC-West), the PSAC-West champion, won 29-27, 17-25, 25-11, 18-25, 18-16 Oct. 16 at Tippin Gym while Gannon (20-8, 13-6), the fourth-place team in the PSAC-West, won 24-26, 25-15, 25-17, 22-25, 15-6 Friday in Erie.
“I think we are a lot a like in many ways,” Clarion's fourth-year head coach Jennifer Harrison said. “I think we can both produce from multiple positions on the court, and size wise we match up similarly. They do a nice job getting in the way of our blocking, which we don't come across too often, and we need to do a better job defending their outside hitters.”
Gannon is one of just three teams to take Clarion to five sets this season. The other two were Quincy and California with Clarion coming away with 3-2 victories both times.
“I think Gannon is coming in as a confident team, and hopefully that will help us focus better,” Harrison said. “Nothing comes easy in the PSAC. It can be anybody's day. I think it should be a good match. It always is with Gannon and Clarion.”
On offense, Clarion is led by junior outside hitter
Kellie Bartman who has 355 kills (3.48 per set) and is hitting .237 (348 kills, 116 errors, 1,010 attempts). Bartman is adding 33 service aces, 233 digs (2.28 per set) and 60 blocks. She ranks ninth in school history with 1,018 career kills.
Two additional Golden Eagles are over 200 kills and a third is just shy of the 200-kill mark.
Junior outside hitter
Kaitlyn Anderson is second on the team in kills with 217 (2.71 per set) while adding 31 service aces and 171 digs (2.14 per set). Sophomore middle hitter
Rebecca Webb is third in kills with 208 (2.06 per set) and is adding 40 service aces, 47 digs and a team-high 99 blocks (0.98 per set). Webb is hitting a team-leading .271 (208 kills, 64 errors, 531 attempts). Freshman middle hitter
Corinne Manley is chipping in 196 kills (2.04 per set) and 72 blocks (0.75 per set) while hitting .252 (196 kills, 74 errors, 485 attempts). Webb is tied for 15
th in school history with 240 career blocks.
Freshman middle hitter
Hannah Heeter has also been solid for the Golden Eagles with 141 kills (1.58 per set) and 50 blocks
Junior setter
Amanda Gough, a three-year starter, runs the offense. She has 894 set assists (9.51 per set) while adding 227 digs (2.41 per set), 71 kills (0.76 per set) and 39 blocks (0.41 per set). She is hitting .253 (71 kills, 21 errors, 198 attempts).
Rebecca Beightol is a solid backup to Gough with 183 set assists (4.82 per set) and 60 digs. Gough ranks fourth in Clarion history with 2,894 set assists.
Defensively, junior Libero
Rhianon Brady has a team-high 650 digs (6.31 per set) and adds 30 service aces, while junior defensive specialist
Kayla Rodak adds 208 digs (2.02 per set) and 27 service aces. Brady's 650 digs are the fourth most in school history – she holds the school record with 729 last season – and she ranks third in school history in career digs with 1,866.
On offense, sophomore outside hitter Lauren Sazama leads Gannon with 363 kills (3.7 per set) while adding 60 service aces, 271 digs (2.77 per set) and 32 blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Reineke adds 326 kills (3.4 per set), 196 digs (2.04 per set) and 41 blocks, while junior middle blocker Kara Cullen has 223 kills (2.51 per set) and a team high 98 blocks (1.10 per set).
Junior setter Alex DelPiombio sets up the offense with 700 set assists (7.53 per set) with senior Kendall Fischer adding 315 set assists (4.26 per set). DelPiombio also had 139 digs (1.49 per set).
Defensively, senior defensive specialist Jess Saunders has 399 digs (4.24 per set) while junior Lindsey Deitmen adds 109 digs (1.15 per set), 69 blocks (0.73 per set) and 134 kills (1.41 per set).
NOTES – This is the 45th meeting between Clarion and Gannon dating back to 1975. Clarion leads the all-time series 26-18 including 4-2 since Gannon joined the PSAC in 2008 … The last four matches between the teams have each gone five sets with the teams splitting those four matches … Clarion is 9-7 at home in its history vs. Gannon including 2-1 in PSAC play … This is the 10th time Clarion has been in the PSAC Tournament. The Golden Eagles are 8-10 in 18 PSAC Playoff games including 1-0 at home. The Golden Eagles beat Edinboro 3-1 at Tippin Gym last year in the first-ever home PSAC playoff game for Clarion … Overall, this is the 17th year Clarion has qualified for the postseason. The Golden Eagles are 26-27 in postseason play including 7-2 at Tippin Gym (including 6-2 in PSAC-West Tournament play which was held from 1983-88) … Clarion has won one PSAC Title in school history in 1988 when it beat Edinboro 3-1 for the PSAC Championship … The Golden Eagles PSAC-West title this year is the first PSAC-West title in school history … Clarion, which was ranked first in the Atlantic Region in last week's NCAA Division II Regional poll, is looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in school history with all six appearances coming since 2002 … The Golden Eagles have won 26 matches for the seventh time in school history and for the sixth time since 2002. They also won 26 last year and 28 in Harrison's first season in 2007. Clarion is looking for its 27th win, which would tie the 1989 team for the fourth most in school history. The school record is 31 in 2002 … Harrison is 96-35 in her four seasons and has the third-most wins in school history and the second-highest winning percentage (.733).
