CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team ran into their toughest home opponent to date, falling by a 3-0 (21-25, 25-27, 19-25) score to Pitt-Johnstown on Friday night.  The Golden Eagles (18-9, 9-5 PSAC) will be back in action on Saturday when they face off against Lock Haven at home.
 
Taylor Braunagel came up just one dig shy of another kill/dig double-double, finishing with a match-high 19 kills to go along with nine digs.  She committed just three errors on 44 swings for an impressive .364 hitting percentage on the night.  Julia Holden joined her in double-digits with 14 kills of her own.  Olivia Olson tacked on seven kills and five blocks.
 
The Mountain Cats' defense bedeviled the Golden Eagles throughout the night, as Pitt-Johnstown held Clarion to a .201 hitting percentage and out-digged them 66-51.  Clarion hit under .200 in two of the three sets on the night. 
 
The first two sets were the most competitive of the night, with Clarion nearly rallying from a 23-18 deficit in the first to tie it.  Olson and Leah Vensel blocked Marissa Erminio to cut the lead to 23-19, and Braunagel pulled Clarion to within 23-21 with a kill that forced Pitt-Johnstown into a timeout.  The Mountain Cats rallied out of the break, though, scoring twice in a row to claim a 25-21 decision.
 
The second set was a much more near-run thing, with the Golden Eagles taking a 22-20 lead thanks to a kill from Holden.  The Mountain Cats scored four straight to take a 24-22 advantage, but Holden responded with a kill and then joined Olson for a block to tie the set.  Olson and Jessica Samuels blocked Cambria Wierman on the next point to make it 25-24, but Pitt-Johnstown scored three straight to end the set.  They controlled action throughout the third as well to secure the win.