CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle volleyball team earned a split on the first day of the Clarion Invitational, sweeping Salem 3-0 (25-9, 25-8, 25-6) in their weekend opener before dropping a tight 3-1 (19-25, 23-25, 25-12, 23-25) decision to Northwood in the nightcap. The weekend concludes with two more matches on Saturday, when Clarion (3-3) faces Tiffin and Lock Haven in Tippin Gym.
 
SALEM RECAP
 
The Golden Eagles made relatively quick work of the Tigers, mixing and matching a number of rotations and lineups as they recorded the 3-0 sweep. It was the second shutout win of the season for Clarion, who also defeated New Haven via sweep a week ago in Tippin Gymnasium.
 
Because of the judicious lineup changes, no one player dominated the match statistically for Clarion, despite the margin of victory. Aubrey Wrona and Charlie Allison both led the way with six kills apiece while Alexa Cundy saw action in two sets, recording 20 assists. The Golden Eagles hit .346 as a team in the match, including a .357 clip in those final two sets. Abigail Selfridge recorded the match-high with nine digs.
 
The first set went quickly and decisively in Clarion's favor as the Golden Eagles scored the first six points, as well as 11 of the first 12, to build a double-digit edge. Julia Piccolino helped Clarion take the race to 15 points with a kill to make it 15-4, and London Fuller tipped a ball for a kill to make it 20-5. The lead returned to 15 points with a kill by Amy Regrut to make it 23-8, and Selfridge launched an ace on set point to take the game 25-9. Salem kept it closer to start the second, with Clarion's lead just a 7-4 edge early on. The Golden Eagles pulled away from there, with Allison making it 10-4 on a kill. The big run came midway through the set with Clarion leading 13-8. From there they scored 12 consecutive points, cruising to the set victory 25-8 on a block by Lindsey Mausser and Addison Conti.
 
Another big run early set the Golden Eagles apart in the third set, with Clarion scoring eight straight at one point to make it 10-3. Wrona bookended the run with kills, and the rally also included aces from Selfridge and kills by Allison and Conti. Clarion had a 12-0 run late in the set to make it 22-4, and Courtney Krall bashed a kill to extend it to 23-6. A Tiger error sealed the win for the Golden Eagles.
 
NORTHWOOD RECAP
 
The match between the Timberwolves and Golden Eagles was a tense one, as the teams played to a number of close moments throughout. Each team kept the other in check offensively save for one set apiece, with the Timberwolves enjoying a strong first set and the Golden Eagles hitting and sterling .400 in the third.
 
Cassidy Snider had a team-high 14 kills, while Julia Piccolino was just behind her with 12 kills. Fuller dished out 39 assists and recorded 13 digs for a double-double, and Selfridge added a team-high 17 digs.
 
Northwood pulled away from Clarion late in the first set to take a 1-0 advantage in the match. Piccolino bounced a kill off the block to cut the Timberwolves' lead to 18-17, but Northwood responded by scoring seven of the next nine points to take a 25-19 set win. The Golden Eagles were in position to take the second set with a 22-18 lead, but Northwood scored seven of the final eight points for a 25-23 set win.
 
Clarion took their frustrations out in the third set with a dynamite offensive display, hitting .400 and blowing the doors off Northwood with a 25-12 win. Annie Koester delivered the set point kill. The Golden Eagles were poised to force a fifth set as they took a 23-20 lead late, but the Timberwolves rebounded with a 5-0 run to end it.