CLARION, Pa. — Gannon (13-4, 4-0 PSAC) defeated the Golden Eagles volleyball team (8-9, 2-2 PSAC) in four sets on Friday night, winning 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-16, 25-13) at Tippin Gymnasium. Clarion split the first two sets with the Golden Knights, winning the second in a tight race, but Gannon controlled action over the final two sets for the win.
Haley Fledderjohann contributed defensively with 17 digs, while
Emily Klopp led the attack with nine kills and added three blocks to her performance.
Grayson Kinsman contributed a team-high four blocks, including two solo blocks, and
Lauren Fjerstad had two aces.
The first set began the Golden Knights responding to early pressure from Clarion with a 5-0 run, capitalizing on Golden Eagle errors to take a 7-2 lead. Clarion attempted to close the gap, with key plays from
Natalie Karrick and
Finley Kearney, to cut the deficit to 15-9. Despite efforts from
Claire Bickett and
Emily Klopp, who added kills to keep the Golden Eagles within striking distance, Gannon maintained their advantage. The Golden Knights closed the set after Bengisu Arslan and Carlee Webber combined for a block to force set point, taking the set 25-14 on an erro by Karrick.
In the second set, Clarion capitalized early on Gannon's missteps to build momentum. The home team quickly established a lead, with Klopp registering multiple kills assisted by Karrick, and effective blocking from Kinsman, Grayson and Klopp. This initial surge set the tone for the set. Midway through, the Golden Eagles extended their advantage as
Raegan Stader and Kearney added timely kills, and the team benefited from Gannon's attack errors. Despite a late push by Gannon, featuring Sydney Wake's contributions, the Golden Eagles maintained composure, closing the set with a kill from Stader to secure a 25-21 victory.
That was the high water mark for the Golden Eagles in the match though, as the Golden Knights exploded for two convincing set wins to clinch the match. In the third set, a 7-0 run turned what had been a modest 11-8 lead to a double-digit advantage for Gannon, and the Golden Knights led by as many as 11 points en route to the 25-16 win. Gannon scored the first six points of the fourth set to seize the momentum and again took a double-digit lead, winning the set 25-13.
