EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Golden Eagle volleyball team will play for their third-ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship on Saturday afternoon, after gutting out a 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21) road victory over East Stroudsburg on Friday night. Clarion (21-9) defeated the top-seeded team in the PSAC East division to earn the right to face the top seed in the West, Gannon, in the title match. First serve is set for 4 p.m.
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It will be the fourth PSAC Championship match appearance for the Golden Eagles under head coach
Jennifer Herron, and their first title match berth since the 2015 season. Clarion last won a PSAC Tournament championship in 2010 when they defeated Edinboro 3-1.
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The Golden Eagles got the win in a match where neither side found much traction on offense, with both squads hitting under .200 over the course of four sets. Clarion mostly neutralized the PSAC East Athlete of the Year in setter Ali Finch, holding the Warriors' leading attacker to just one kill and 29 assists in the match. Conversely, the Golden Eagle outside hitting duo of
Julia Piccolino and
Cassidy Snider authored another stellar performance, combining for 39 kills between the two of them. Piccolino, in particular, was sharp on offense, hitting .372 with just four errors on 43 attempts.
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Both Piccolino and Snider recorded Kill-Dig double-doubles, with the former going for 20 kills and 17 digs, and the latter 19 kills and 18 digs.
London Fuller posted a double-double of 47 assists and 13 digs.
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Every set featured its own tensions, as the two heavyweights slugged it out over the course of the evening. The Golden Eagles threw the first knockdown blow, going on a run midway through the first set to take an impressive result against the Warriors. Back-to-back errors by Golden Eagle attackers left Clarion ahead just 19-17, but Snider righted the ship with three kills on the next four points to put her team ahead 22-18. The pressure now on the Warriors, Kenzie Guimont missed on an attack, and
Aubrey Wrona bounced a kill to force set point. Wrona finished off the set two points later, posting a kill to make it 25-19 and put Clarion up early on.
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Mistakes plagued the Golden Eagles in the second set, while the Warriors hit away at a .297 clip to build a 22-15 lead. Notably, though, Clarion did not roll over, scoring seven of the last 10 points but ultimately dropping the second set 25-22. It looked as if East Stroudsburg might have the momentum in the third set as well, when Guimont and Finch blocked Snider to make it a 16-12 lead. The Golden Eagles came alive from that point, though, scoring nine of the next 10 points to build a 21-17 lead. Piccolino forced set point and then buried it, giving Clarion a vital 2-1 edge in the match.
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Despite a big Clarion lead midway through the fourth set, the Warriors injected drama into the finish with a furious pushback after trailing 21-13. ESU scored eight of the next 10 points to pull within 24-21, but Snider decided they would get no closer with a match-winning kill at 25-21.
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