CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team put a scare into the 21^st-ranked team in the nation, but ultimately fell in five sets to the Gannon Golden Knights, losing 3-2 (25-22, 11-25, 25-17, 19-25, 10-15).  The Golden Eagles will be back in action tomorrow when they host Mercyhurst at the Student Rec Center.
 
Both teams showed flashes of brilliance and frustration through the match, splitting the trading the first four sets and most of the fifth.  Gannon pulled away at the end of the fifth set, scoring seven straight points to take the final game and the match.
 
Olivia Olson was a force on offense and defense, finishing with 15 kills and a .290 hitting percentage as well as seven blocks.  Julia Holden also broke double-digits in kills with 12 on the night.  Five Clarion players recorded 10 or more digs, with Chrissy Cotton posting a match-high 26 digs.
 
The Golden Eagles rallied from a deficit in the first set to take it to the Golden Knights, erasing a 13-10 hole to take the lead at 18-17.  Olson bashed a kill to put her team ahead 21-17, but Gannon rallied back and tied the score at 22.  An attack error by Johanna Gregory put Clarion back ahead and Olson forced set point with a solo block, with the Golden Knights committing an error on the last point to give Clarion the game.
 
Gannon dominated the second set, winning 25-11, but a big run in the third set put Clarion in the driver's seat.  The Golden Eagles trailed 8-5 until a kill by Lauryn Driscoll put the serve in Cotton's hands, and the junior libero delivered.  She notched three aces as part of a 7-0 run that put Clarion ahead 11-8, and Gannon never again held the lead in the set.  Holden aced Toni Leitshuh to make it 20-16, and Olson delivered the winner at 25-17 to put Clarion ahead 2-1 in the match.
 
The Golden Knights rebounded with another strong effort in the fourth set, coming back from a 4-0 hole early on to take the game 25-19.  The fifth set was back and forth through the early going, with Clarion taking a 10-8 lead at one point, but the Golden Knights swept the remaining points for the fifth set win.