CALIFORNIA, Pa. – Thanks to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Rollins in its second match of the day, the Clarion University women's volleyball team moved to a perfect 8-0 on the season after winning both matches Saturday at the California (Pa.) Invitational.
 
"The one things that stands out to be so far this season aside from the leadership from Laura Subject, Carlie Bieranowski and Morgan Seybold, is everyone in the gym is working hard and it's showing on the court," Clarion's eighth-year head coach Jennifer Mills said. "One of the things we preach is that you have to work hard every day. They are starting to figure it out. I appreciate it as a coach what they are bringing everyday and what they are doing to prepare to get better."
 
The Golden Eagles topped Fairmont St. 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-15) to start the day's action, but that win was only a prelude of what came in the mid-afternoon when Clarion rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Rollins, an NCAA Division II Round of 32 team out of the always tough South Region, by scores of 22-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-9.
 
"It was amazing," Mills said of the come-back victory. "When you three-year starting setter comes up to you after the match and says it was the most fun match of her career, you put it together that it was a pretty exciting match. They were terrific."
 
Mills said the real key to the win was her team keeping its energy level high and playing to win even when it go behind.
 
"Rollins was terrific," Mills said. "They were running a lot faster and digging everything. Once we settled in, we seemed more comfortable in the third set. It got to the point where out ball control allowed us to get more hitter involved, which made a huge difference."  
 
After dropping the first two sets to Rollins, the Golden Eagles rode the play of a pair of freshmen to the come-from-behind win.
 
Middle hitter Gabrielle Olson recorded nine of her team-high 17 kills in the final three sets including five in the fourth set, while outside hitter Taylor Braunagel had eight of her 11 kills in the final three sets including three each in the third and fourth sets. Olson also had a match-high eight blocks with Braunagel adding five blocks and three digs.
 
"Seeing them push through tough situations in each game, each set, each match is key," Mills said. "I couldn't be more proud of the whole team. It was such a huge effort. I wanted us to be in this situation before conference play. We had to grind deep to pull it out."
 
Senior outside hitter Carlie Bieranowski and sophomore right-side hitter Mackenzie Biggs also played big roles in the comeback with Bieranowski recording seven kills and nine digs in the final three sets and Biggs coming up with seven kills, including three in the deciding fifth set. For the match, Bieranowski had a double-double with 12 kills and 20 digs, while Biggs added nine kills and four blocks.
 
Laura Subject was once again spot on in her role running the offense finishing with 54 set assists to go with 13 digs and two kills, while Abbey Cox added eight kills, four digs and two blocks.
 
Defensively, Morgan Seybold paced Clarion with 23 digs, Catherine Ferragonio added 12 digs and Mattison Thornton 11 digs.
 
Trailing 2-0 in the match, the Golden Eagles found themselves down 13-10 in the third set before a 13-6 run paced by two kills from Biggs and a pair of block assists by Olson shifted the momentum in the set and the match.
 
"It's a testament to just grinding it out and sticking with it and not being satisfied," Mills said. "We are showing in tight situations we are willing to play a little more aggressively. That's a huge key."
 
In the fourth set, Clarion led 16-11 before Rollins rallied to take an 18-17 lead. But kills by Bieranowski, Braunagel and Cox put Clarion back ahead 22-19, and an Olson kill finished the set forcing a deciding fifth set.
 
In the fifth set, the Golden Eagles trailed 3-1 early before a 7-2 run paced by two kills by Biggs gave Clarion a 9-6 lead, and that lead never was fewer than three points the remainder of the match.
 
Earlier in the day against Fairmont St., Subject recorded 30 set assists – she finished the day just three shy of becoming the fourth player in school history with 3,000 set assists in a career – to go with seven digs and two kills in the 3-0 victory.
 
Braunagel led the Clarion offense with nine kills while hitting .444 (9 kills, 1 error, 18 attempts), while Biggs and Bieranowski each added eight kills. Biggs hit .462 (8-2-13), while Bieranowski added 12 digs.
 
Seybold once again paced the defense with 19 digs, and Ferragonio added 14 digs.
 
Clarion, which is 8-0 for just the fourth time in school history, returns to action Friday when it opens PSAC play with a pair of PSAC Crossover matches at Millersville. The Golden Eagles face host Millersville at 11:30 a.m. before taking on Lock Haven at 5 p.m.