CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle volleyball team slowly but surely took control of their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament match over the course of three sets, eventually building up to a convincing three-set sweep as Clarion defeated IUP 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-15) at Tippin Gym on Tuesday night.
 
With the win, Clarion advances to the PSAC Tournament semifinal where they will face Shippensburg, this year's host. The match is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
 
It took some time for Clarion to get into the groove, but once they did they began to seize the momentum of the match. A come-from-behind effort to win in the first set gave way to a slightly less dramatic win in the second, and by the third set the Golden Eagles had firmly put their stamp on the proceedings with the Crimson Hawks.
 
The offensive production was balanced throughout the lineup, with senior Julia Piccolino continuing her recent hot streak with a team-high 13 kills. That gave her exactly 1,300 career kills, making her the second Golden Eagle this season – along with Cassidy Snider – and just the eighth in program history to top the 1,300 kill mark.
 
Three other Golden Eagles finished in double-digit kills, with Snider, Charlie Allison and Savannah Taosoga each recording 10 kills. Taosoga hit .389 with just three errors on 18 attempts, while Allison hit .33 with just three errors. Snider hit .286 and also added a team-high 14 digs for a double-double.
 
IUP showed themselves to be a formidable opponent, especially in the first set when they very nearly took a 1-0 lead in the match. The Crimson Hawks scored four of the first five points, and eventually won the race to 10 points with a kill by Stefania Anagnostou. Clarion turned the tables by scoring five of the next six points, tying the match at 11 on a kill by Piccolino. Snider notched a kill to make it 15-14, and Piccolino struck again to put her side ahead 21-20.
 
There was a good response from the Crimson Hawks, with Anagnostou posting kills on two of the next three points to put IUP up 23-21. A pair of IUP errors tied the set at 23 but Anagnostou forced set point with a kill. The Golden Eagles dug deep, first with Allison bashing an over ball to tie the set at 24, and Sophia Lucas aced Delaney Concannon to give Clarion a set point. They wasted no time in putting it to use, with Snider hitting an over ball for a kill and the set win.
 
The second set looked like a rerun of the first until late, with the Golden Eagles rattling off a 5-1 run to turn a 15-all tie into a 20-16 advantage. Piccolino and Snider added kills to make it 22-17, and Finley Kearney terminated the set by killing an over ball on set point to give the Golden Eagles the 25-18 lead. With the emotional tide clearly in their favor the Golden Eagles continued to roll in the third set, embarking on a 9-1 run to take a 14-7 advantage. They continued to tack on, pushing the lead to double-digits as Abigail Selfridge aced Anagnoustou to make it 22-12, and Allison delivered the coup de grace with a kill on match point.