CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle volleyball team evened their season record with a doubleheader sweep of Slippery Rock on Saturday, rallying from a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 (24-26, 17-25, 25-16, 25-14, 15-9) win in the first match and posting a 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-18) victory in the second. Clarion won five straight sets to conclude the day against the Rock.
 
Match 1 Recap
The Golden Eagle offense struggled in the early going against the Rock, hitting in the negative through the first two sets and having just one more kill than error after three. Once they got things going, though, they were difficult to stop, powering a rally that led them to the match win. Clarion hit .419 (23-5-43) over the final two sets to complete the comeback victory.
 
They were dominant from the service line through all five sets, torching Slippery Rock for 20 service aces. That represents the fourth-highest single-match total in program history, and the most since a 27-ace performance against Cheyney on Oct. 9, 2010. Julia Piccolino had seven of those aces, while Cambron Hampton and Alexa Cundy each recorded five aces. Piccolino also contributed a match-high 22 kills and 11 digs, while Rachel Apshago added a team-high 14 digs to go with a number of crucial kills late in the match.
 
The Rock came out firing on all cylinders in the first two sets, clinching a tight 26-24 decision in the first before rolling to a 25-17 win in the second. Things looked to be well in hand for them well into the third set as well, but the Golden Eagles rallied for a dominant run midway through to turn the tide of the set and the match. Clarion trailed 10-9 but embarked on an 8-1 run that started with three straight kills from Piccolino and included aces from Kathryn Ledford and Cundy. They continued to stretch the lead, eventually going up 22-13 after two aces by Piccolino. Abigail Yeager finished the set with two consecutive kills that made it 25-16 and put the Golden Eagles on the board.
 
The remainder of the first match was all Clarion, as the Golden Eagles opened the fourth set on an 11-1 run to truly show they were back in the match. The deficit eventually reached double-digits after a kill by Piccolino made it 18-8, and Annie Koester bumped the lead to 20-8 on a kill of her own. Apshago delivered the set point kill down the line to tie the match at 2-2, but by that point momentum was firmly in the Golden Eagles' corner. They raced out to an 8-3 lead in the fifth set on the strength of two aces by Cambron Hampton, and the junior delivered one more ace at match point to take the win.
 
Match 2 Recap
The push from the first match carried over into the second as Clarion controlled all three sets of the nightcap, winning two of the three sets by double-digits. The offense was evenly distributed as Piccolino and freshman Amy Regrut each recorded 10 kills, and libero Abigail Selfridge tied for the match-high with 16 digs.
 
The first set started close as the Rock kept within striking distance, but Clarion scored nine of 11 points at one point to build up a 19-11 advantage. The Golden Eagles won the race to 20 points on a kill by Piccolino, and Yeager and Cundy combined for a block to make it 21-12. Clarion was buoyed by a kill from Courtney Krall which forced set point at 24-12, and they won the set a point later on an error by the Rock.
 
The second set saw Clarion jump out to a 7-2 lead, and Regrut made it 11-5 with a kill. Slippery Rock held their ground for a good portion of the second set though the outcome was not truly in question as the Golden Eagles slowly expanded their lead. Koester provided the final point needed with a solo block of Tiara Teague, setting the Golden Eagles ahead 2-0 heading into the third set. In this set the Rock took the early initiative, taking an 8-4 advantage on a kill by Stephanie O'Donnell. Clarion responded by scoring five straight points and never trailed again, taking a 10-9 lead on a kill by Yeager. A 5-0 run put the Golden Eagles up 16-10, and Gillian Romanchok launched two straight aces to force match point at 24-14. A Slippery Rock attack error gave the Golden Eagles the set and the match.