INDIANA, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team dropped a tough PSAC Southwest match on the road on Tuesday, falling 3-0 (24-26, 14-25, 22-25) to IUP.  The Golden Eagles (19-10, 10-6 PSAC) will try to clinch a spot in the conference tournament this weekend when they host Seton Hill and California (Pa.).
 
Clarion won the first meeting between the two teams but the Crimson Hawks took the second go-round, holding the Golden Eagles to a .051 hitting percentage on Tuesday.  Taylor Braunagel finished with a match-high 14 kills, followed by Julia Holden (eight kills) and Olivia Olson (seven).  Catherine Ferragonio also set the match high with 25 digs in just three sets.
 
The first set was the closest, with the Golden Eagles holding a late lead over the Crimson Hawks before it slipped away.  Clarion rallied back to tie it at 20 with a kill by Olson, and Braunagel had the Golden Eagles looking at set point with a kill at 24-22.  However, IUP ripped off four straight points, including back-to-back kills by Gabby Egler, and took the first set 26-24.
 
IUP cruised to a 25-14 win in the second set, but the Golden Eagles put up a serious fight in the third set to stay competitive.  They rallied back from a major deficit as the Crimson Hawks opened up on a 10-1 run, pulling to within one point late.  Holden cut the lead to 15-12 with a kill and Braunagel sliced the deficit to just 23-22 with a kill of her own.  IUP, however, managed to hold off the Golden Eagle rally to take the three-set win.