CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle volleyball team pulled off an important win on Friday night, earning the victory in their penultimate regular season match by defeating Edinboro 3-1 (25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 25-18) in Tippin Gymnasium.
 
With the victory over the Fighting Scots, Clarion put themselves in position to earn sole possession of the PSAC West division title with a win over Gannon on Saturday. The Golden Eagles and the Golden Knights will play at 1 p.m. in Tippin Gym.
 
The match began to turn in the third set, with Edinboro bouncing back from losses in the opening two frames to stymie the Clarion offense. The Fighting Scots won the third set by a score of 25-22, holding off a Clarion rally late and fighting their way back into the match. That momentum carried over into the fourth set, with the Golden Eagles eventually building a slim lead on their opponent before a final 6-0 rally sealed the result.
 
The teams never separated by more than three points for most of the fourth set, with the Fighting Scots even tying the set at 16 after an ace by Erica Sharp. Alyson Peters responded with a kill and then teamed with Amy Regrut for a block on Bella Burrelli on the next point, making it 18-16. Eldredge added kills on two of the next three points to pull the Fighting Scots within a 19-18 score, but Julia Piccolino countered with a kill to keep them at bay.
 
An Edinboro error on the next point gave Clarion some breathing room at 21-18, followed by an ace from Sophia Lucas that breathed life into the Golden Eagle bench. Regrut pounded a kill to the middle of the floor to make it 23-18, but it was the next point that proved most fortuitous. Piccolino fired a shot toward the Fighting Scots' lefthand line, grazing a defender before falling out of bounds to force match point. Regrut did the rest, though, bouncing a kill to make it 25-18.
 
Regrut was a force for the Golden Eagles, hitting 12 kills and hitting .476 with just two errors on the night. She was steady throughout all four sets, even as the Fighting Scots defended the Golden Eagles well in the last two frames. Cassidy Snider had a match-high 20 kills and a .313 attack percentage, while London Fuller finished with 48 assists, 11 digs and five kills. Piccolino recorded 14 kills, six digs and four aces.
 
The first two sets were carried by the Golden Eagles, who held the Fighting Scots to .032 hitting in the opening two frames. Clarion went up 18-12 after an ace from Lucas, and eventually built a 20-14 lead on a tip kill by Fuller. Piccolino forced set point with an ace and Snider followed it up two points later with a kill. The second set went entirely the way of the Golden Eagles, with Lauren Aichinger bouncing a kill at 25-12.
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