HILLSDALE, Mich. --- The Golden Eagles volleyball team headed on the road to start a three-match swing at the Chargers Net Results Invite hosted by Hillsdale, falling in a pair of matches on the first day of the tournament. Clarion dropped 3-0 decision to Florida Southern and the hosting Chargers.
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Action will conclude tomorrow when Clarion faces off with Purdue Northwest.
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Florida Southern 3, Clarion 0 (23-25, 21-25, 19-25)
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Recap: Neither team in the Golden Eagles' first match of the day was able to generate much efficiency on offense, though the Mocs managed to hit .124 while holding Clarion to a .067 attack percentage. Florida Southern managed 10 total team blocks, compared to just four for the Golden Eagles, and that disparity contributed to the Mocs' winning result.
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Cassidy Snider finished with a match-high 11 kills, and
Haley Fledderjohann contributed a match-high 18 digs to go along with it.
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Clarion rallied from a 6-2 deficit in the first set, going on a 5-1 run to tie the score against the Mocs. Snider and
Olivia Ishmael contributed both offensively and defensively in the run, with each chipping in kills. Ishmael and
Savannah Taosoga combined to block Mackenzie Petermann to punctuate things, making it 7-7. The Mocs countered later in the set with a 5-0 run that gave them a 14-10 lead, but four straight points by the Golden Eagles – including back-to-back aces from
Lauren Fjerstad – made it a tie set again. Clarion held a 23-21 lead late in the set before Florida Southern strung together four straight points, taking the crucial first game 25-23.
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The second set featured a similar ending. Clarion went ahead 18-17 after Taosoga finished off a 4-0 run to give her side an 18-17 lead.
Emily Klopp put the Golden Eagles ahead 21-20 with a kill but again the Mocs closed things out, scoring five straight points for the set win. The Mocs were solid in the third set, taking an early lead and never relinquishing.
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Hillsdale 3, Clarion 0 (22-25, 21-25, 18-25)
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Recap: The Golden Eagles held a solid advantage at the service line, logging six aces against the Chargers compared to just two against, but Hillsdale hit .289 for the match and held a 7-3 advantage in total team blocks. Snider was again the chief offensive force in the match, finishing with a match-high 18 kills.
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The first set was tight for the most part, with Clarion staying within a few points of the Chargers throughout. A kill and an ace by
Raegan Stader on back-to-back points cut Hillsdale's first set lead to 22-21, but the Chargers responded with two quick points to force set point. Snider delayed that with a kill but Hillsdale took the set 25-22.
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In the second set Clarion was the one to jump out to a big lead, with
Kylie Barto contributing an ace and Snider a couple of kills in an early run that put the team up 8-2. Stader made it 10-4 with a kill and later made it 11-6, but the Chargers rallied and went ahead 16-14 on a kill by Josie TeSlaa. Another Golden Eagles run put the team in the lead, with Fledderjohann acing Greta Wise to put her side up 20-18, but six straight points by the Chargers sealed the set. Hillsdale went on to roll through the third set for the win.
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