CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team hit .323 and committed just seven total errors en route to a season-opening victory, as the Golden Eagles defeated Lake Erie 3-0 (25-17, 25-25, 25-20) to open the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament.  Clarion (1-0) will continue action tomorrow with Davenport and Saginaw Valley State.
 
The new-look Clarion attack was an efficient presence on the court, committing just seven total errors on the night and no more than four in any one set to keep the pressure on the Storm.  Conversely, they held Lake Erie to just a .049 hitting percentage, including a -.032 mark in the second set.  The Golden Eagles won the block battle 7.0 – 2.0, a big factor in frustrating the Storm.
 
Clarion also got strong offensive play from its middles, as Holly Pittman and Lauren Aichinger provided plenty of firepower.  Pittman had a match-high 10 kills on 19 swings for a .529 hitting percentage, while Aichinger had nine kills and a .500 hitting percentage.  Aubrey Wrona and Julia Holden each contributed seven kills, and Chrissy Cotton added 17 digs.
 
The first two sets were near-runaways for the Golden Eagles, who opened up big leads in each.  Clarion led by as many as eight points in the first set, taking a 20-12 advantage after a string of errors by the Storm.  Aichinger made it 21-14 with a kill, and the duo of Pittman and Wrona notched a block to force set point to essentially wrap the first set.  The Golden Eagles enjoyed another big lead in the second set, going up 21-13 after Aichinger blocked Dora Olah.  That time Wrona finished things off, recording a kill to take the set and make it 2-0.
 
The Storm kept things much tighter in the third set, and even led 16-15 after a kill by Courtney Rosebrook.  It was the last time they led, though, as Clarion embarked on a 6-0 run that was capped by a kill from Pittman.  Aichinger had the final two kills of the set, bouncing one on match point for the victory.