CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion ­volleyball team honored their seniors and closed their regular season on Saturday, with the Golden Eagles falling 3-0 (14-25, 23-25, 16-25) to Gannon at Tippin Gymnasium. 
 
Clarion's season will continue with the first round of the PSAC Tournament on Tuesday, when the Golden Eagles (19-11, 11-7 PSAC) face Shippensburg.  The Raiders won the last meeting with Clarion, defeating them 3-1 in Clarion on October 12.
 
The Golden Knights proved to be a tough defensive nut for the Golden Eagles to crack, with Gannon holding Clarion to a .096 hitting percentage for the match.  Clarion hit better than .200 in only one set as the Golden Knights out-dug them 69-62. 
 
Julia Holden posted 14 kills to reach 1,428 for her career, putting her just behind Jodi Pezek (1,444) for fourth all-time in Clarion history.  She was the primary offensive weapon for the Golden Eagles, while Aubrey Wrona recorded seven kills and six digs.  Chrissy Cotton had a team-high 21 digs while Alexa Cundy finished with 27 assists and 15 digs. 
 
Clarion's best performance of the afternoon came in the second set, when the Golden Eagles had an opportunity to tie the team match with an excellent effort.  They never let the Golden Knights get too far ahead and at one point erased a late two-point deficit, with two consecutive Gannon errors making it 17-17.  The teams traded points back and forth, with Holly Pittman recording a kill to tie the set at 23, but Gannon was finally able to string together two straight points for the 25-23 win.
 
The Golden Knights controlled action in both the first and third sets, taking the former by double-digits.  The latter saw Gannon go on a late run, scoring five straight points to end the set and the match.