WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Clarion volleyball team wrapped up their third straight 3-1 weekend of non-conference play on Saturday, claiming a 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 24-26, 15-13) win over Fairmont State and a 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-15) sweep over West Liberty.  The Golden Eagles (9-3) will enter conference play next weekend on the road when they face East Stroudsburg and West Chester.
 
Catherine Ferragonio totaled 56 digs over the two matches for an average of 7.00 digs per set, as the Falcons and the Hilltoppers hit just .139 and .089, respectively, in the two matches.  Olivia Olson totaled 28 kills in two matches, including a career-high 19 in the win against Fairmont State, while Taylor Braunagel and Julia Holden continued their offensive surges with 23 and 25 kills, respectively.
 
The Golden Eagles started the day with the five-setter against the Falcons, as the teams traded sets back and forth throughout the entire match.  The first set was tied at 14 before Braunagel broke the deadlock with back-to-back kills, and Clarion never trailed Fairmont State in the first game again.  Holden bounced a kill to make it 20-16 and then teamed with Olson for a block of Alyssa Kelly to make it 21-16.  Kaitlyn Glaser delivered the coup de grace to make it 25-20 in the first set.
 
The Falcons edged Clarion in the second set while the Golden Eagles dominated in the third, taking a 2-1 lead in the match thanks to an inspired effort.  They erased a 6-3 deficit with a 3-0 run punctuated by a solo block of Mackenzie Harrison.  Olson and Lauryn Driscoll blocked Emma Mobley to force set point, and Olson blocked Harrison on set point to make it 25-16.  The Golden Eagles came back from a 10-5 deficit in the fifth set, tying it up at 12 on a block by Olson and Leah Vensel, and scored the final three points of the match to claim the 3-2 win.
 
After a close first set with the Hilltoppers in the nightcap, there was (comparatively speaking) much less drama.  Braunagel broke a 19-19 deadlock with two straight kills, and Christina Cotton served up an ace to put Clarion ahead 23-19.  West Liberty clawed to within 24-23 but Olson bounced a kill to take the first set 25-23.
 
The Golden Eagles opened the second set on a 6-0 run and led by a 10-5 score after Vensel set up Olson for a kill.  The lead reached 10 points when Vensel's tip made it 16-6, and it was 20-16 after a kill by Driscoll.  Holden notched the set winner at 25-19.  The third set started close but ended in a runaway effort for Clarion, who erased a 5-3 deficit and led by as many as nine points.  Vensel tipped another kill on match point to put away the Hilltoppers.