CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team capped its home regular season schedule with a tightly-fought victory, defeating the feisty IUP Crimson Hawks 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-23, 25-18) at the Student Recreation Center on Tuesday.
 
With the win, the Golden Eagles enter the final weekend of regular season action with a 20-9 overall record, including an 11-5 mark in PSAC play.  That leaves them tied with California (Pa.) for second in the Southwest division and one match behind division leader Seton Hill.  The Golden Eagles will face both teams this weekend.  Pending results throughout the conference, it would appear the Golden Eagles are guaranteed a spot in the PSAC Tournament.
 
The match with the Crimson Hawks had its share of twists and turns, with IUP attempted to play spoiler over the Golden Eagles with a spirited effort.  Clarion survived a number of close shaves in the first and third sets before pulling away for the win in the fourth. 
 
Julia Holden had a match-high 18 kills while Aubrey Wrona added 11 and Olivia Olson 10.  Marissa Robertson was a standout on offense and defense, recording seven kills and a .313 attack percentage while also recording 11 digs.  Chrissy Cotton had a team-high 20 digs, while Leah Vensel added 11 to go with her 49 assists.
 
As would be the case throughout the night, IUP battled throughout every set, giving Clarion everything they could handle.  The first set was tied late in the frame as Madi Burns knocked a kill to make it 18-18, but Wrona and Lauryn Driscoll added back-to-back kills to bump the lead to two points.  The Crimson Hawks pulled to within 22-21 after Wrona committed a service error but made their own a point later, eventually leading to a set-point kill by Holden.
 
IUP controlled long stretches of the second game, including a 9-0 run that turned an 11-9 deficit into an 18-11 lead.  They rode that wave into a 25-20 set win, and used the momentum to force the issue in the third set as well.  It was dogfight throughout as neither team got a clear edge on the other, with the Crimson Hawks leading 22-21 and forcing a Clarion timeout.  Holden and Olson recorded back-to-back kills to take a 23-22 advantage and force an IUP timeout, but the Crimson Hawks scored out of the break to tie it at 23. 
 
Clarion got a fortunate break on the next point as Jessica Ignace was called for reaching over the net, putting the Golden Eagles at set point.  Holden did the rest, bouncing a kill for the 25-23 set win.  IUP briefly threatened in the fourth set, pulling to within 17-16, but a 5-0 run coming off Driscoll's serve put the game out of reach.