CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle volleyball team will look to continue what has already been a historic season, when they travel to Wheeling for the 2021 NCAA Atlantic Regional. This year's tournament is hosted by Wheeling University at the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
 
The winner of that opening round match will face the winner of the 1v8 match in the first round of the Regional, which pits the hosting Cardinals against Fayetteville State.
 
The 2021 PSAC Tournament champions, Clarion (22-9, 11-5 PSAC West) enters the weekend as the fifth seed in the tournament. They will open up with fourth-seeded Edinboro, marking the fourth time the Golden Eagles and Fighting Scots will meet during the 2021 season. Edinboro won both of the regular season meetings by 3-0 scores, but Clarion turned the tables on them with a 3-0 road win in the opening round of the conference tournament.
 
That win was the kick start to a masterful playoff run by the Golden Eagles, who dropped just one set in three matches en route to their first conference championship since 2010 and just the third in program history. The third seed in the PSAC West division, Clarion defeated three higher seeds on their way to the championship. After beating the West's #2 seed Edinboro, they went on the road to beat East #1 East Stroudsburg and finished up with a sweep over West #1 Gannon in the final.
 
Clarion will go into the tournament with one of the best offenses in the region, primarily a tripartite group but with timely contributions throughout the lineup. Freshman outside hitter Cassidy Snider has already locked up a slew of awards, including Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) First Team All-Region and PSAC West Rookie of the Year. She ranks 11^th in the nation in kills at 4.24 kills per set, while racking up 11 kill-dig double-doubles on the year. Snider is flanked on the left side by Julia Piccolino, a Second Team All-PSAC West selection that also ranks among the PSAC leaders in kills. The straw that stirs the offensive drink is setter London Fuller, a First Team All-PSAC West selection and the 2021 PSAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
 
This is to say nothing of the rest of the attack, as Clarion saw a number of players rise up in critical moments to lead the Golden Eagles toward a championship. Middles Lauren Aichinger and Alyson Peters made their presences felt on both offense and defense, hitting at a high clip and providing tough blocking at the net. Another senior in the Golden Eagle starting rotation, Aubrey Wrona, has locked things down on the right side with her passing and timely attacking.
 
In the back row, libero Abigail Selfridge has been steady all year long, and at times spectacular. She saved some of her best work for the conference tournament, averaging 6.40 digs per set in three matches. That included a virtuoso performance in the championship match against Gannon, when she recorded 27 digs in just three sets to befuddle the Golden Knights.

This will be the tenth appearance in the Atlantic Regional for head coach Jennifer Herron, now in her 15^th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles, and their first since 2018. In what could (hopefully) be a good omen, Clarion's last regional title came in the same year as their last conference championship as well; the Golden Eagles advanced to the NCAA Championship quarterfinal in 2010.