Clarion Athletics

CALIFORNIA, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle volleyball team clinched a home match in the first round of the upcoming Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament with a win on Saturday afternoon, wrapping up the regular season with a 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-11, 25-18) victory over California (PA) at the Convocation Center.
 
With the win, the Golden Eagles finish the regular season with a 23-5 overall record and a 13-3 mark in PSAC West play, securing the second seed in the West division. Clarion will host IUP in the PSAC Tournament Quarterfinal round on Tuesday, November 14 in Tippin Gym. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
 
Clarion revved things up in the final two sets after starting a bit sluggishly, splitting the opening two sets with the Vulcans and hitting just .092 in the process. They turned the tables in the final two games, pounding away at the Cal defense with a .349 attack percentage. They committed just seven attack errors in the final two sets combined after committing 12 and seven, respectively, in the first two sets.
 
Julia Piccolino continued her recent hot streak, topping double-digit kills for the fourth straight match. The senior notched 17 kills and hit .432 against the Vulcans, committing just one error against 37 attempts, and also went off for 16 digs. Cassidy Snider added 17 kills and nine digs, while Abigail Selfridge recorded a team-high with 17 digs. London Fuller was dangerous at the service line, posting four aces to go with her 47 assists.
 
The Vulcans had the Golden Eagles on the ropes early on, going up 7-1 and later 11-4 in the first set. Clarion chipped away at the advantage, using a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 12-11. Piccolino and Charlie Allison had two kills apiece in that rally, and freshman Taylor Haupt added one as well. Allison and Fuller tied the set at 13 with a block on Bella Buwawa but the teams continued to trade points. The Golden Eagles had the first set point of the first when Allison smashed an over ball to make it 24-23 but an error kept Cal in the set. Allison uncorked two more kills on the next two points, giving Clarion the 26-24 set win.
 
Cal was able to stave off another Golden Eagle charge in the second set, going on a 5-0 run to turn a tied game into an 18-13 advantage. Another big run – this one a 6-1 rally – increased the lead to 24-15, and the Vulcans put away the Golden Eagles on a kill by Buwawa. Clarion responded with a masterful performance in the third set, taking a 12-5 lead on three consecutive kills by Piccolino. The highlight of the set came late, after Snider earned the Golden Eagles the serve with kills on back to back points to make it 20-11. Fuller dealt out three of her four aces in the match in the next four points, setting up set point and setting Snider to the kill at 25-11.
 
The Golden Eagles opened the fourth set on a 10-4 run, with Finley Kearney smacking a kill to punctuate the opening rally. The Vulcans cut the deficit to 16-14 before Clarion pulled away in earnest, with Piccolino making it 20-15 with kills on back-to-back points. Allison forced match point with a kill by smashing an over ball, and then delivered the match winner off a set by Fuller.
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