Clarion Athletics

CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team closed out their regular season with a Senior Day win, defeating California (Pa.) 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17) at Tippin Gymnasium on Saturday.  The Golden Eagles (20-11, 11-7 PSAC) will now await the remainder of the day's PSAC matches to determine their opponent in the first round of the PSAC Tournament. 
 
Taylor Braunagel had a career-best in the final home match of her career, recording 30 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, as well as seven digs and five blocks.  Olivia Olson also threw in 10 kills and five blocks.  Catherine Ferragonio had a match-high 27 digs as Clarion out-dug the Vulcans 64-45 in the match. 
 
The win was not the only momentous occasion on Saturday.  At the conclusion of the match, Braunagel received a marriage proposal from her longtime boyfriend Matt Shuey.
 

VB: Taylor Braunagel accepts Matt Shuey's proposal after winning on Senior Day! pic.twitter.com/3oWjEn5Yda
— Clarion U. Athletics (@ClarionEagles) November 11, 2017

(She said yes, by the way.)
 
Clarion got off to a hot start in the first set, opening the match on a 5-0 run punctuated by a block from Braunagel and Olson.  The feisty Vulcans pulled to within 10-9 on a kill by Maddie McGee, but the Golden Eagles never allowed California to take the lead.  A 7-1 run put Clarion in position to win the set, and eventually Braunagel took a set from Leah Vensel and bounced it for a kill at 25-22.  The second set started out much the same way, with the Golden Eagles ripping off a 7-2 run to start.  Olson had three kills in the rally, including one that forced a Vulcan timeout at 6-2, and the duo of Braunagel and Kaitlyn Glaser made it 10-3 with a block of Lois van Schaik. 
 
Again the Vulcans rallied back, though, pulling to within 21-19 on an ace and eventually tying the set at 24 on a block by Emily Bucklin and Madeleine McKenna.  Glaser tipped a ball down line for a kill on the next point, though, and a ball-handling error by California on set point gave Clarion a 2-0 advantage.
 
The Vulcans took the third set 25-22 but Clarion was back on track in the fourth, breaking an early deadlock to run away with the game.  Aubry Ohlson recorded a kill to make it 9-8, and after a block by Ohlson and Olson to make it 14-11, California never got closer than three points the rest of the match.  Vensel scored a tip kill at 18-13 and Shelby Coughenour entered the match to block Ashley Leto at 23-14.  Braunagel set the match point with a kill at 24-14 and then delivered the winner three points later, making it 25-17.