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.
 
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.  Catherine Ferragonio led the way with a team-high 14 digs while Marissa Robertson contributed 10 of her own.  Taylor Braunagel and Mackenzie Biggs tied for the match-high with 12 kills apiece while Lauryn Driscoll posted 10 kills.  Leah Vensel doled out 42 assists in the win.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.