CLARION, Pa. – A match that started out with promise ended in a bit of disappointment for the Clarion University women's volleyball team, which lost for just the second time this season, 3-1 to No. 5 Wheeling Jesuit, at Tippin Gym Tuesday night.
 
Clarion (16-2) grabbed the first set against the Cardinals, ranked fifth in the latest AVCA NCAA Division II Coaches' poll, 25-21 but lost the next three by scores of 25-16, 25-12, 25-16.
 
"We came out with a lot of energy, which was really good," Clarion head coach Jennifer Mills said. "We did some things we were working on really well. But (after the first set) it was like the energy was gone. The biggest thing we need to work on is maintaining consistency, especially against a great team like Wheeling. They are a great ball control team, and they are in system a lot."  
 
Still, in the end, the Golden Eagles became the first team in 16 matches to take a set from the Cardinals (19-1), who hadn't lost a set since dropping their only match of the year, 3-0 to then No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul back in early September.
 
"I think (the first set) showed we are capable," Mills said. "They are 100 percent capable. That first game was probably the best Clarion team I've had the opportunity to coach. But, then, we broke down. But that's what you are going to see with a young team. You are going to see kids do things like that. You are going to see ups and downs. It's just trying to maintain the consistency."
 
Freshman middle hitter Gabrielle Olson had a strong match for the Golden Eagles with 12 kills to go with four blocks.
 
"She's a physical kid," Mills said. "There aren't a lot of teams in our region that see a kid that is that physical."
 
Fellow freshman Taylor Braunagel was also key on offense with a team-leading 13 kills, while Carlie Bieranowski chipped in six kills and 13 digs and Mackenzie Biggs had seven kills and a block.
 
Laura Subject, fresh off her PSAC West Athlete of the Week Award, also had a good match with 40 set assists and 11 digs, while Morgan Seybold (19 digs), Mattison Thornton (13 digs) and Catherine Ferragonio (11 digs) played solid defense. Ferragonio added a pair of aces.
 
Wheeling Jesuit, which moved to 13-4 all-time vs. Clarion, was paced by Haley Kindall and Emily Schleucher, who had 17 and 15 kills respectively. Andrea Thobe ran the offense with 51 set assists, while Kayce Krucki (28 digs), Makenzie Ripley (21 digs) and Jessica Thobe (16 digs) were key on defense. Krucki added 10 kills to finish with a double-double with Jessica Thobe chipping in nine kills. Schleucher had a match-high six blocks.
 
The first set was Clarion' strongest, as the Golden Eagles used a 7-1 run led by three Abbey Cox kills to erase an early 5-3 deficit and take a 10-6 lead, a lead they never relinquished.
 
Wheeling Jesuit did close within two a couple of times, the latest being at 23-21, but a Biggs kill and a Cardinals attack error closed out the set for the Golden Eagles.
 
"We were super focused and got great touches on the ball in the first set," Mills said. "We defended the ball well."  
 
The second set was tight halfway through with Clarion holding a 13-12 lead before an 11-1 Wheeling run turned the set and possibly the match around.
 
"We had to start forcing the outside a little bit," Mills said. "We weren't in system, so our hitters weren't really moving. It (our offense) was pretty predictable. It becomes difficult to put the ball away."
 
Another large run allowed the Cardinals to take control of the third set early, as a 7-0 spurt broke a 6-all tie, and Wheeling's lead in the set never fell below six the rest of the way.
 
"When we lost focus, it became a little bit more difficult," Mills said. "We were giving too many balls backs. Our ball control broke down."
 
The Cardinals then seemed determined to not have the match go to five sets jumping out to leads of 5-0 and 13-3 in the fourth set despite a pair of Clarion timeouts.
 
"It's such a game of momentum," Mills said. "Your job, if you are playing well, is to end the momentum. Everyone is going to have a kill, and you are going to make mistakes. You just need to get past it. I don't know if we really did that after (the midway point of the second set)."
 
 
While Clarion was able to close within seven, 18-11, thanks in large part to a pair of Ferragonio service aces forcing a Wheeling timeout and kept the match within seven – the last time was 23-16 -, the early deficit in the set proved to be too much.
 
Clarion returns to action at 11:30 a.m. Friday when it hosts East Stroudsburg as part of a PSAC Crossover event. The Golden Eagles also play Kutztown at 7:30 p.m. Friday before taking on West Chester at 10 a.m. and Cheyney at 6 p.m. Saturday.