Clarion Athletics

GREENSBURG, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle volleyball team got one step closer to hosting a home match to open the upcoming Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament, sweeping Seton Hill 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-18) in the penultimate regular season match of the 2023 season on Friday.
 
With the win, Clarion improves to 22-5 overall and 12-3 in PSAC West play. They are currently in second place in the PSAC West division, one game ahead of IUP, who ranks third with a record of 11-4. Simply put, a Golden Eagle win over California (Pa.) in the season finale will guarantee them a home match in the first round of the PSAC Tournament, though the tiebreaker of set differential against the rest of the PSAC West division could come into play if Clarion loses to the Vulcans and the Crimson Hawks beat Seton Hill.
 
Offensively it was a bit of an off night for the Golden Eagles, but they persevered against the Griffins despite lagging behind them on the stat sheet. Charlie Allison powered the offense with 13 kills and a .346 attack percentage, while Julia Piccolino shined with 11 kills, six digs and four aces. London Fuller still managed to dish out 34 assists in just three sets.
 
Clarion won the race to 10 points in the first set, with Taylor Haupt bouncing a kill and Cassidy Snider adding an ace to make it a 10-4 advantage. Piccolino and Snider added kills on back-to-back points to make it 15-11 and Piccolino notched an ace on the next point to increase the lead to five points. The two sides traded points essentially for the rest of the way, though Seton Hill did manage to cut it to 24-22 after a block. The Golden Eagles returned the favor with a block on set point, with the duo of Snider and Allison blocking Kaitlyn Lipps to make it 25-22.
 
There was significantly more drama in the second set as the Griffins opened up a significant lead late, going up 17-12 after a kill by Mara Yahner. Undeterred the Golden Eagles rorared back, tying the score with five straight points. That run included three consecutive service aces by libero Abigail Selfridge, and Tayor Haupt finally tied the score with a kill. A separate 4-0 run put Clarion ahead, with Haupt acing Kendyl Wanger to make it 20-19 and Allison adding a kill to make it a two-point set. The Griffins tied things at 23- on a kill by Catie Flohr but the Golden Eagles responded with two straight points to seal the outcome of the game.
 
The Golden Eagles took a 10-8 lead early in the third set, with Snider bouncing a kill win the race to double digits. A 5-0 run midway through made it an 18-12 advantage, with Piccolino punctuating the rally with a kill, and Allison put away the match point at 25-18.
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