WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. --- The Golden Eagle volleyball team kicked off their weekend at the Atlantic Region Crossover with a pair of wins on Friday afternoon, defeating Notre Dame College 3-1 and West Liberty 3-0 at the Academics, Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC).
 
Clarion 3, Notre Dame College 1 (30-28, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21)
 
Recap: The Golden Eagles overcame two even sets to start the match with the Falcons to dominate action in the final two games, holding Notre Dame to a miniscule .149 attack percentage in the final two sets to win the 3-1 match.
 
Cassidy Snider bashed away for a team-high 20 kills and also recorded 10 digs in the match, while teammate Julia Piccolino notched 16 kills and nine digs. Setter London Fuller went off for 58 assists and 11 digs for a double-double, averaging 14.50 assists per set to go with her defensive performance.
 
The first set was an absolute battle between the Golden Eagles and the Falcons, with Notre Dame taking a 23-21 lead on a bad set by Fuller. Clarion responded with a couple of points, including a kill by Snider to make it 24-23, followed by a block from Snider and Finley Kearney to tie the set at 24. The Golden Eagles took a 27-26 lead after kills by Snider and Piccolino but did not clinch the first set until well later, starting with a block by Savannah Taosoga and Charlie Allison. Piccolino closed the set with a kill, giving the Golden Eagles the 30-28 decision.
 
The Falcons responded with a close 25-22 win in the second set, though Clarion responded with a dominant win in the third. The Golden Eagles opened up a 12-6 advantage after Haley Fledderjohann notched an ace, and the advantage in the third set reached 21-11 after a bad set by Notre Dame's Jayme Zoeckler. Allison recorded the kill on set point, taking a set from Fuller and putting it away for the point.
 
Clarion fell behind 8-4 to start the fourth set, and Notre Dame College led by a margin of 13-6 early in the game. The Golden Eagles countered with five straight points to cut the deficit to 13-11, and eventually tied the score at 16- on a kill by Piccolino. She gave the Golden Eagles the lead with a kill, making it 19-18, and Allison tacked on with a kill to make it 20-18 in the fourth set. Abigail Selfridge posted an ace to force match point at 24-21, giving an opening where the Falcons gave the Golden Eagles a set win with an error.
 
Clarion 3, West Liberty 0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-17)
 
Recap: Despite the Golden Eagles getting just 30 minutes rest before the second match of the day, they showed no sign of fatigue against the Hilltoppers, hitting .357 for the match and dominating West Liberty for a straight sets win.
 
The top attacking honors belonged to Snider, who hit .353 with 16 kills and just four errors for one of the most efficient attacking performances for the Golden Eagles. Allison was the only Clarion to dispute that title, with the junior notching 10 kills on 14 attempts with no errors for a .714 attack percentage. Piccolino and Selfridge each recorded 12 digs.
 
Perhaps still well in tune after their win less than an hour earlier, the Golden Eagles jumped to an 11-6 lead in the first set over West Liberty, with Allison and Fuller combining to block Ashley Cudnik to cap the run. Snider finished off the race to 15 with a kill and Fuller did things one better with a service ace on the next point, beating Cudnik to make it 16-8. The Hilltoppers pulled closer but could not totally close the gap, with the duo of Karlee Berchtold and Annie Koester blocked Liv McAtee for set point.
 
The second set was tight through the early portions, though Allison kicked off a 5-0 run midway through to help the Golden Eagles to an 18-11 advantage. Snider made it 20-12 with a kill and Piccolino finished it off just a few points later, bashing a feed from Fuller to make it 25-15. A service error by West Liberty's Nyia Setla broke a tie in the third set, giving the Golden Eagles a lead they would not relinquish. Allison solo blocked Katelynn Fritz to make it 8-6, and Berchtold made it a 15-12 advantage with a solo block of Grace Hill. Allison capped the race to 20 with a kill and Cudnik committed an attack error on match point, giving the Golden Eagles a win.
  Read Full Article