Box Score CLARION, Pa. – Behind 23 kills from Carlie Bieranowski, the Clarion University volleyball team shook off a slow start to beat visiting Slippery Rock 3-1 in PSAC West volleyball action Tuesday evening at Tippin Gym.
 
"Carlie had a great match," Clarion head coach Jennifer Mills said about her junior outside hitter who also hit .327 (23 kills, 6 errors, 52 assists) and completed a double-double with 15 digs. "It was one of her better hitting matches. She understood the scouting report, saw what they were doing and was able to adjust."
 
Clarion (25-2 overall, 14-1 PSAC) dropped the first set 25-19 to the underdog Rock (9-19, 4-11) before winning the next three by scores of 25-13, 26-24 and 25-21.
 
"In our conference, every team is good no matter their record," Mills said. "Slippery Rock is a good team that is well coached. They have lost a lot of close games this year where things haven't gone their way. We can't just come out and expect to only play at a certain level. We have to play at a consistently high level every match. That is probably the thing we need to work on the most, our consistency."
 
Emily Stewart added 14 kills and eight digs for the Golden Eagles with Hannah Heeter chipping in eight kills, four blocks and three digs.
 
Laura Subject had 44 set assists to go with 12 digs and two kills with Morgan Seybold chipping in with 26 digs.
 
Caroline Houston led Slippery Rock with 11 kills, while Janna Reilly had 21 set assists and 12 digs.
 
Clarion struggled from the outset in the first set falling behind 10-5 before fighting its way back into the set tying the set at 11. But once again The Rock forged ahead taking a 19-14 lead before the Golden Eagles once again answered with five straight points to bring the set to a deadlock at 19. But scoring the final six points, Slippery Rock put the set away at 25-19.
 
The second set was all Clarion.
 
After being tied at four, the Golden Eagles rolled off 10 of the next 12 points to take a 14-6 lead with Bieranowski recording four kills during that stretch. Slippery Rock got back within five, 14-9, but the remainder of the set belonged to Clarion.
 
The third set appeared like it was going to be a repeat of the second with Clarion jumping to a 17-9 lead with Stewart recording four kills and Bieranowski three. But Slippery Rock kept battling back and eventually tied the set at 23. A kill by Bieranowski put the Golden Eagles a point away, 24-23, but Houston retied the set at 24. Stewart, though, made it 25-24, and Stewart teamed with Kelly Shannon on a block to give Clarion a 2-1 lead.
 
The fourth set was tight for most of it with Slippery Rock gaining a 14-11 lead on a Michelle Hren kill before a 10-0 Clarion run turned the match around. Once again it was Bieranowski leading the way recording five kills during the run. The Rock made things interested by getting back within one 22-21, but once again it was Bieranowski to the rescue with two kills and an ace to give the Golden Eagles the victory.
 
The win sets up a key home weekend for Clarion, as the second-place Golden Eagles host third-place Seton Hill at 7 p.m. Friday before taking on first-place California (Pa.), the only conference team to defeat Clarion this year, at 1 p.m. Saturday. Clarion is two games up on Seton Hill and one back of California with seven matches left. The matches are Clarion's annual Breast Cancer Awareness matches with all proceeds going to The Cancer Center at Clarion Hospital.
 
NOTES – With the victory, Clarion has 25 wins for the 10^th time in school history and the seventh time since 2002.