SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – A dominant defensive effort boosted the Clarion volleyball team to a three-set win over Slippery Rock on Saturday, as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 3-0 (26-24, 25-14, 25-16) win over The Rock at Morrow Field House.
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Clarion (12-9, 6-3 PSAC) held The Rock to just a .035 hitting percentage, recording 55 digs and 2.0 team blocks to keep the opponent at bay.Â
Catherine Ferragonio led the way with a team-high 14 digs while
Marissa Robertson contributed 10 of her own.Â
Taylor Braunagel and
Mackenzie Biggs tied for the match-high with 12 kills apiece while
Lauryn Driscoll posted 10 kills.Â
Leah Vensel doled out 42 assists in the win.
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The most drama of the afternoon came in the first set, with the two teams battling to a late deadlock. Slippery Rock led 17-13 midway through but Clarion erased that deficit, with Braunagel acing Leah Jones to tie things up at 17-all. Biggs and Robertson made it 19-17 with back-to-back kills but The Rock battled back and tied things up at 24-all. An attack error by Jones gave the Golden Eagles the daylight they needed, with Braunagel notching a kill to make it 26-24 and take the set.
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Things proceeded much more smoothly in the second and third sets. The second was tied at 9-9 before Clarion went off on an 11-3 run to take command, capping the rally at 20-12 on a Braunagel kill. Biggs and
Julia Holden blocked Brooke Bostwick to force set point, and Clarion took the set 25-14 on a bad set by Haley Defibaugh.
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The third set was never really in question as Clarion never allowed the Rock to take the lead, even for a moment. The Golden Eagles doubled up on Slippery Rock when Driscoll made it 16-8 with a kill, and she teamed with Biggs to block Kaley Fucci to make it 21-11. Braunagel scored the last two kills of the match to wrap things up, making it 25-16 with a pair of kills.
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