WHEELING, W.Va. --- The Golden Eagle volleyball team wrapped up their non-conference schedule with a split on the final day of the Atlantic Region Crossover, with Clarion beating Fairmont State 3-1 before falling by a 3-0 score to the hosting Wheeling Cardinals.
 
Clarion 3, Fairmont State 1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19)
 
Recap: The Golden Eagles withstood an offensive barrage from the Falcons in the first set, remaining competitive despite Fairmont State's efficient attack and giving themselves an opportunity to win the set. Karlee Berchtold put Clarion ahead 17-14 with a kill but the Falcons quickly tied things up with three straight points, including a pair of aces by Lindsey Ulring. Fairmont State took a 22-19 lead but then it was the Golden Eagles' turn to counter, as Clarion scored four of the next five points to even it up at 23. Cassidy Snider and Charlie Allison combined to block Emma Ludwig's attack, and the pair of London Fuller and Snider recorded kills on consecutive points to make it 23-23.
 
The Falcons scored two straight points to take the set 25-23, but the Golden Eagles seized the momentum from that point forward and took the win. Clarion scored eight of the first nine points in the second set, capping their run with three consecutive aces by Snider. Allison won the race to 10 with a kill that made it 10-6, and the Golden Eagles scored 10 of the next 15 points to make it a 20-11 advantage. Allison forced set point with a kill, which Clarion got two points later on an error by Joey Borelle.
 
Fairmont State pushed back in the third set, tying it at 11 on a kill by Josie Nobbe, but Clarion embarked on a 6-1 run to quell any thoughts of a letdown. Snider recorded kills on consecutive points to give the Golden Eagles a 22-15 lead, and another error by the Falcons on set point put Clarion up 2-1 in the team match. Snider went off on a tear late in the fourth set, recording five kills in the span of six points to give her team a 23-15 advantage. She later delivered the match point kill at 25-19.
 
Snider finished the match with a match-high 23 kills and also dug out 13 balls for a double-double. Abigail Selfridge added a match-high 19 digs on defense, while London Fuller added 51 assists and 13 digs.
 
Wheeling 3, Clarion 0 (21-25, 17-25, 24-26)
 
Recap: Facing off with the hosting Cardinals in the final match of the two-day tournament, the Golden Eagles were unable to get over the top in a trio of sets that were closely contested. The final scores belied the nature of the match as the Golden Eagles held close with Wheeling throughout.
 
Case in point: the Golden Eagles led the Cardinals for much of the first set, including a 19-17 lead after kills by Fuller and Snider on back-to-back points. Wheeling responded with four straight points to take a 21-19 lead, though Finley Kearney cut that deficit in half with a kill. The Cardinals managed to tally four of the next five points, earning the 25-21 win. The second set played out in a similar manner, with Clarion leading 12-8 at one point. The Cardinals ripped off a 14-1 run to take a commanding lead, and they eventually won the set 25-17.
 
The Golden Eagles kept things tight all the way through the third set, though, coming back from a 24-21 deficit with three straight points to extend the set. Allison recorded a kill to get the run going and Taylor Haupt added one on the next point to make it 24-23, and a Wheeling error by Riley Kindall tied the score. The Cardinals rebounded with two straight points to pull out the match.
 
Snider had a team-high 16 kills, while Allison chipped in eight kills. The Golden Eagles were held to just a .202 team attack percentage in the match.  
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