CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle volleyball team capped off a perfect Homecoming week with a 3-0 sweep on Saturday afternoon, as Clarion shut out Slippery Rock to the tune of a 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-23) victory at Tippin Gymnasium. Clarion (12-6, 4-2 PSAC West) dominated the first two sets but needed a rally in the third to hold off the Rock.
 
It was a quick 2-0 lead for the Golden Eagles, who routed the Rock in the opening two sets. It seemed as though Clarion would be in the driver's seat throughout until Slippery Rock opened to a dominant start in the third set, leading 16-6 at one point. The opening the Golden Eagles needed came on a kill by Cassidy Snider that made it 16-7, putting the ball in the hands of Cambron Hampton at the service line. Hampton served up seven straight points for the Golden Eagles, including an ace, as they pulled back to within 16-14 in the set.
 
The Rock opened the lead back up, taking a 20-15 lead after a Clarion error. Aubrey Wrona rallied back with back-to-back kills, and Julia Piccolino made it just a 21-20 deficit with a kill. Slippery Rock made it 23-21 on a kill by Chelsie Wheeler, but Lauren Aichinger sparked one last rally with a kill to make it 23-22. The senior middle followed up by teaming with London Fuller to block Sydney Ryan to tie the score, and Snider bounced kills on the last two points of the set to make it a 25-23 set win and a Golden Eagle victory.
 
Piccolino recorded a match-high 14 kills while hitting .323 against the Rock. Wrona continued her midseason surge with nine kills and a .280 attack percentage, supplementing the outside attack of Snider, who finished with nine kills. Selfridge had a match-high 18 digs. Aichinger was dominant at the net with seven total blocks.
 
The first two sets did not necessarily foreshadow the drama of the third. Clarion jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the first set, with the duo of Piccolino and Aichinger rejecting Lauren Crytzer to kickstart things. The advantage reached 13 points when Wrona smacked a kill to make it 22-9, and a bad set by Taylor Fellers gave the Golden Eagles a 25-15 win in the first. Slippery Rock kept it closer early on in the second set, pulling to within 9-8, but three straight points by the Golden Eagles scuttled that rally. A 7-0 run essentially sealed the deal for Clarion, and Piccolino recorded a kill on set point to take the game.