CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles volleyball team authored another five-set victory in conference action on Saturday, coming back from a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 (16-25, 20-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-9) win over Pitt-Johnstown at Tippin Gymnasium.
 
The Mountain Cats were the dominant team in the first two sets, hitting .394 over the first two games and pushing themselves out to a 2-0 advantage. Clarion actually led 18-14 in the second set before an 8-0 run by Pitt-Johnstown put the latter ahead 23-18. They scored two of the final four points for the 25-20 set win, setting themselves in prime position for the match win.
 
The Golden Eagles, however, were not about to go away quietly. Clarion opened the third set on an 8-1 run, with Emily Klopp factoring in on a block and a kill during that rally. They won the race to 15 points with a kill by Cassidy Snider, and the senior outside hitter added another on the next point to make it a 16-11 advantage. Raegan Stader pounded kills on back-to-back points to make it 20-14, and errors by the Mountain Cats gave Clarion the 25-17 third set.
 
That cracked the door ajar for the Golden Eagles, and Clarion kicked it open in the fourth set. Stader broke a 7-7 tie in the fourth set with kills on consecutive points, and the duo of Snider and Marisa Markou combined for a block on Lualis Alvarado to make it 10-7. Those three points sparked what turned out to be an 8-0 run that made it 15-7, giving the Golden Eagles a significant cushion even as the Mountain Cats rallied back. Finley Kearney made it 21-17 with a kill and Snider recorded kills on two of the last three points to make it a 25-22 set win.
 
The fifth set was a battle that saw both sides battling for the crucial conference victory, with the Golden Eagles pulling away late in the game. Snider broke a 6-6 tie with a kill, and Haley Fledderjohann followed up with an ace to make it 8-6. Kearney and Klopp combined to block Alvarado two points later to cap a 4-0 run. Staeder and Kearney were part of another 4-0 run later on to make it 14-7, and Stader finished off the match with a kill at 15-9.
 
Stader was a revelation on offense, posting the best numbers of her season to date. She posted 22 kills on 53 attempts for a .302 attack percentage, while Snider added 23 kills and a .333 attack percentage. Kearney added eight kills and a .375 attack percentage, and also contributed five blocks. Fledderjohann had a team-high 19 digs, making her one of four Golden Eagles to crack double-digits in digs.
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