WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Clarion volleyball team continued to right the ship on the early part of their season, winning by identical 3-0 scores against Virginia-Wise and West Liberty at the WLU/WJU Invitational hosted jointly by West Liberty and Wheeling Jesuit.  The Golden Eagles (5-4) have now won three straight matches.
 
Taylor Braunagel was fully in the swing of things on Friday, averaging 3.33 kills per set and hitting .306 in the two matches.  Lauryn Driscoll added 12 kills and hit a team-best .550 in the wins, while Mackenzie Biggs averaged 2.67 kills per set.  Leah Vensel and Kaley Pittsley set the team to a .251 hitting percentage in two matches with an average of 13.33 assists per set, while Marissa Robertson averaged a team-best 5.50 digs per set.
 
The Golden Eagles opened the day with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-19) win over the Virginia-Wise Cavaliers, holding them to a .000 hitting percentage with 38 team digs and 8.0 team blocks.  Braunagel added a match-high seven kills, and the duo of Driscoll and Olivia Olson combined for nine kills and a .643 hitting percentage.  Robertson had 12 digs and Catherine Ferragonio had nine.
 
The Cavaliers were ahead 8-5 early in the first set but the Golden Eagles scored 14 of the next 17 points to take a commanding advantage.  Clarion won the race to 20 on a service error by Santana Bishop, and Drisoll forced set point with a service ace.  Braunagel clinched the first set with a kill at 25-15.  The Golden Eagles broke a 10-10 deadlock in the second set and took a two-point advantage after a kill by Olson; the lead ballooned to 10 points after Julia Holden solo-blocked an attack attempt by Bishop, making it 23-13, and followed that up with two straight kills to take the set.
 
The third set was never in question, as Clarion jumped out to a 7-0 run and never relinquished the lead.  The Cavaliers pulled to within 22-19 but Sarah Boodjeh delivered the match-winning kill at 25-19.
 
Braunagel recorded 13 kills and hit .367 in the nightcap 3-0 (25-21, 25-1, 25-15) win against West Liberty, while Biggs had 11 kills and hit .370.  Robertson had a match-high 21 digs and also added seven kills.  The Hilltoppers hit just .115 while the Golden Eagles hit .264 in the victory. 
 
Clarion opened the first set on a dominant 10-2 run, capping it with a kill by Olson, and never allowed the Cavaliers to get closer than three points the rest of the way.  Braunagel won the race to 15 with a kill to make it 15-10, and Robertson made it 20-15 will a kill of her own.  Biggs delivered the winner, posting a kill at 25-21 to put the Golden Eagles ahead in the match.  The Golden Eagles came back from 12-9 down in the second set by going on a 6-1 run, taking a 15-13 advantage on a kill by Biggs.  Olson forced set point with a kill and then teamed with Braunagel to clinch the set, blocking Olivia Baumhoer for the second-set win.
 
Like the previous match, the third set was never in question as Clarion cruised to a big advantage.  Braunagel and Olson made it 10-7 with a block and Pittsley made it 20-12 with a service ace.  Braunagel clinched the match win with a kill.