CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team came out strong with a first set win, but the Golden Eagles were unable to keep the momentum rolling in falling 3-1 (25-21, 17-25, 18-25, 20-25) to the Shippensburg Raiders at the Student Recreation Center.  The Golden Eagles (11-7, 3-3 PSAC) will play five straight PSAC matches on the road before returning home in the first week of November.
 
Clarion opened the match with an excellent effort in the first set, outhitting the Raiders .238 - .086 and posting 5.0 team blocks in a 25-21 win.  The Golden Eagles were not able to keep up the pressure on the Raiders, though, and the latter rebounded for three straight set wins to claim the match. 
 
Julia Holden led Clarion with 21 kills while Aubrey Wrona contributed a double-double of 10 kills and 19 digs.  Chrissy Cotton had a team-high 22 digs while Alexa Cundy dished out 44 assists. 
 
The Golden Eagles shot out to the early lead with two quick kills, with Holly Pittman and Gillian Romanchok each tallying scores to start the match.  The set went back and forth until the final moments, when Holden tied the set and took the lead on successive kills that made it 21-20.  Wrona recorded a kill to stretch the lead to two points, and Holden recorded another to force set point.  The duo of Lydia Leiner and Lauren Aichinger finished off the set with a block, rejecting Gianna Sigado for the 25-21 set win.
 
The Raiders controlled the match of the rest of the way, though, starting by opening up a seven-point lead late in the second set.  Shippensburg pushed the lead to 23-16 on a kill by Alana Pergine and eventually took the set on an attack error by Leiner.  They won the third set by a 25-18 score, pulling away early on after the Golden Eagles took an 8-6 lead.  The fourth set was close late into the game, with Cundy recording a service ace to pull within 22-19, but Shippensburg ultimately pulled away for the win.