CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle volleyball team opened its season with a bang on Thursday night, defeating Shippensburg 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22) in front of a lively home crowd at Tippin Gymnasium. In doing so, Clarion (1-0) claimed a win to start the schedule for the fourth straight season.
 
Neither team asserted themselves offensively over the course of four sets, with the Golden Eagles hitting just .123 while the Raiders hit at a .149 clip. The difference, in essence, was the timing of the offensive performances. As a case in point, Clarion went on a 8-2 run midway through the first set to build a 19-13 lead. The defenses and the margin tightened the rest of the way, as the Raiders eventually tied the score at 24 on a kill by Oyinda Agbale. Amy Regrut and Cassidy Snider bounced back-to-back kills to close the set and give Clarion what turned out to be a key first set win.
 
Snider made her collegiate debut with 17 kills on 43 swings, finishing the match with a .233 attack percentage. Regrut was the only other Golden Eagle to crack double-digits in kills, notching 10 while hitting a team-best .320 and adding five blocks. Abigail Selfridge was a rock on the back line, finishing with a match-high 27 digs.
 
Neither team was able to gain much separation in the second and third sets either, with Clarion erasing a 16-12 Shippensburg lead with a 5-1 run midway through the frame. The rally started with a kill by Lauren Aichinger, which was followed by a Cambron Hampton ace and a kill by Snider to cut it to 16-15. An error by the Raiders three points later tied the score at 17. Regrut helped Clarion take the lead for good in the second with a solo block of Katie Negron, and then teamed with Aichinger to close the game with a block of Emily Gardner to make it 25-23. Shippensburg took the third set thanks to their best offensive performance of the night, steadily stringing together points before claiming a 25-21 decision on a kill by Negron.
 
Now emboldened, the Raiders looked poised to force a fifth set. They led 15-12 in the fourth set but the Golden Eagles responded with a 4-1 run, tying it up on an error by Shippensburg. The Raiders committed four straight errors at one point, giving Clarion a 23-20 advantage late. Snider forced set point with a kill and then delivered the finisher two points later, bouncing one for the 25-22 set win.