CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle volleyball team earned a split on the second day of the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament, defeating New Haven 3-0 (25-18, 29-27, 25-17) in their first match of the day before falling 3-0 (22-25, 21-25, 23-25) to Adelphi in the nightcap.
 
Clarion (2-1) will close out the weekend on Saturday when they face off with Saginaw Valley State at 3 p.m.
 
New Haven Recap
 
Cassidy Snider led an offensive barrage that saw the Golden Eagles hit .303 against the Chargers, while holding New Haven to just a .172 hitting percentage. Snider went off for 20 kills on 37 attempts with just three errors to finish with a .459 hitting percentage. Lauren Aichinger and Amy Regrut were also scary efficient, with the former posting 11 kills and a .333 hitting percentage and the latter 10 kills at a .556 clip. Snider also added 11 digs for her first career double-double. London Fuller dished out 42 assists to go with the .303 team attack percentage.
 
Defensively, Abigail Selfridge led the way with a 21-dig performance in just three sets of action. Julia Piccolino was not far behind with 14 digs. Aichinger was dominant at the net with four total blocks, including two solo shots.
 
The Golden Eagles took firm control of the first set with an 8-1 run that turned an 11-11 tie into a 19-12 runaway. Snider helped Clarion win the race to 20 points on a kill, and Aichinger delivered the finisher at 25-18. The most competitive set of the day – for perhaps the entire tournament, and not just this match – came in the second between Clarion and New Haven. The Golden Eagles fell behind 23-19 after a kill by Emily Smith, but roared back with three straight points to cut the lead to one. An error put the Chargers at set point, but Snider recorded kills on back-to-back points to tie it at 24. The teams traded points until Aichinger bounced a kill to make it 28-27. Smith then missed on an attack on set point to give Clarion a 29-27 lead and the set win.
 
Clarion weathered a light storm in the early portion of the third set when they trailed 6-5. They then rattled off five straight points, punctuated by a block from Aichinger and Amy Regrut, to make it 10-6 and effectively wrestle away control of the match. Aichinger delivered the kill on match point for the win.
 
Adelphi Recap
 
The second match of the day went much differently for the Golden Eagles. Though none of the three sets were runaway wins for the Panthers, Clarion came up just short in each in falling in a sweep. The edge came at the service line, with Adelphi out-acing Clarion 12-3. Snider and Piccolino tied for the team-high with nine kills apiece.
 
The first set was certainly a back-and-forth affair most of the way, though Adelphi took the lead for good on Lilyen McCarthy's kill that made it 16-15. The Golden Eagles kept it tight, though, pulling to within 22-21 on a block by Piccolino and Aichinger. Adelphi expanded the lead and eventually forced set point, which they posted at 25-22 on a kill by Kiendra Delaney. The Panthers really put on the pressure from the service line in the second set, though once again things remained close until late in the game. Aichinger hit an over-pass back for a kill to make it 21-20, and Piccolino again cut into the lead with a kill that made it 22-21. Adelphi scored the final three points of the set, though, to take the 25-21 win.
 
It looked as though the Golden Eagles might force a fourth set, thanks to a 4-0 run midway through the set. Sophia Lucas notched an ace to make it 14-12, and then the duo of Annie Koester and Snider added a block on the next point to stretch the lead to three points. Adelphi rallied with a 6-0 run of their own to take a 20-17 lead, and Delaney finished off the match with a kill at 25-23.