CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team rebounded from a first set setback to win the final three on Saturday, defeating Mercyhurst 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19) at the Student Rec Center.  The Golden Eagles (13-6, 4-2 PSAC) have another three-match week on the horizon, starting with a road contest at IUP on Tuesday.
 
Tough serves made a big difference in this close match, with the Golden Eagles totaling 12 aces and Mercyhurst only four.  Aubrey Wrona and Jordyn Miller notched four aces apiece, with Wrona closing out the third set with three straight to seal the win. 
 
Julia Holden posted 17 kills and a healthy .250 hitting percentage, while Olivia Olson contributed 14 kills and six blocks for the team lead in points.  Marissa Robertson added a double-double of 12 kills and 16 digs, just two digs shy of Chrissy Cotton's team-leading total.  Leah Vensel had 45 assists and set the team to a .220 average.
 
The first set went back and forth, with the Lakers pulling out a 25-22 decision after a kill by Shelby Chesko.  The second set played out much the same way as the two teams remained deadlocked late into the game.  Mercyhurst led 23-20 before a 5-0 run by the Golden Eagles, starting with two kills by Holden and including an ace from Miller to tie it up at 23.  Holden forced set point with a kill, and Alyssa Zirnheld committed an attack error on the next point to give Clarion the win.
 
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 16-8 lead in the third set but the Lakers rallied, eventually taking a 21-20 lead on a kill by Madison Kasper. Clarion got the serve back after an error by Zirnheld, and the duo of Olson and Robertson blocked Kasper on the next point to put the Golden Eagles ahead 22-21.  Wrona ended the set right there with three straight aces, going at Zirnheld for all three and making it a 25-21 win.
 
Mercyhurst briefly held an 11-9 lead in the fourth set, but Clarion responded with four straight points to go ahead 13-11 on a block by Olson and Vensel.  The Golden Eagles scored seven of eight points in an extended stretch to take a 16-12 lead, and Vensel aced Shelby Chesko to put her team up by five.  Olson finished the match with a kill, swatting one from the middle to take the 25-19 set.