WHEELING, W.Va. – The Golden Eagle volleyball team's historic 2021 season came to a close on Thursday night, as fifth-seeded Clarion fell to fourth-seeded Edinboro 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 20-25, 18-25) in the opening round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional. Clarion (22-10) took the first set against the Fighting Scots, but Edinboro's offense caught fire from the second set onward for the win.
 
The loss brought to a finish a season that was otherwise an unequivocal success. Defined by a mix of youth and experience, the Golden Eagles won their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship in 11 years and just the third in program history. One day before the start of the regional, three Golden Eagles earned AVCA All-Atlantic Region honors – Cassidy Snider, London Fuller and Julia Piccolino. Snider also earned AVCA Freshman of the Year honors, as well as D2CCA All-Region recognition.
 
Snider moved into sole possession of sixth place on the program's single-season kills list, moving from outside the top-10 and leapfrogging five athletes in the process. With 480 kills on the season, Snider posted the best single-season kills total for a Golden Eagle since Colleen Sherk notched 517 kills in the 2004 season. Snider recorded a match-high 18 kills in four sets against the Fighting Scots.
 
Lauren Aichinger enjoyed a solid offensive night, recording eight kills and five blocks while hitting .352. Abigail Selfridge had a team-high 14 digs, while Julia Piccolino recorded nine kills and 12 digs.
 
It was befitting that two teams playing for the fourth time in one season would trade punches early, with Clarion taking an early 8-5 lead off an ace from Aubrey Wrona. The Golden Eagles kept the pressure on and slowly expanded the lead, forcing Edinboro into their first timeout after London Fuller and Abbigail Yeager blocked Natalie Pallone to make it 11-7. Fuller helped induce the second timeout of the set for the Fighting Scots, glancing an ace off Abby Monn to make it 14-9. Wrona and Lauren Aichinger combined to block Bella Burrelli to make it a 19-12 lead, and Aichinger helped the Golden Eagles win the race to 20 with a tip at the net. Snider forced set point when she bounced a kill to make it 24-22, and an error by the Fighting Scots on the subsequent point put Clarion ahead 1-0 in the match.
 
The Golden Eagles trailed early on in the second set, but a kill and an ace by Snider on back-to-back points drew them to within 11-9 and forced Edinboro into a timeout. Clarion edged closer to the Fighting Scots throughout the midpoint of the set, but each time Edinboro kept them at bay and extended their lead. The Fighting Scots forced set point on a kill by Sally Sterkel, and took it one point later on a Clarion ball-handling error. Clarion trailed 6-2 at one point in the third set but then scored 10 of the next 15 points, taking the lead 12-11 on an Edinboro error. The Fighting Scots responded with an 8-3 run to build a 19-15 lead, though, and eventually took the set 25-20.
 
Clarion battled through a tough stretch early in the fourth set, though the Fighting Scots took a 14-7 lead on a block by Monn and Sterkel. The Fighting Scots eventually pushed the deficit to double-digits, though, and rode it out for the win.