AMHERST, N.Y. — The Golden Eagles volleyball team (3-2, 0-0 PSAC) won a five-set thriller in their first true road match of the season, topping Daemen (2-3, 0-0 ECC) on Friday night at Lumsden Gymnasium. Clarion took the match 3-2 (23-25, 25-12, 17-25, 25-21, 15-11).
The match was back and forth as the teams traded the first four sets, with Clarion taking the second and fourth sets and the Wildcats the first and third. The Golden Eagles went on a run midway through the fourth set to take the lead, holding off a Wildcat rally that made it 23-21 to force the fifth set. With the fifth set tied at 10, Clarion ripped off four straight points, including a service ace by
Natalie Karrick and a kill by
Raegan Stader, with the latter forcing set point. Stader finished off the match with a kill two points later.
The first set opened with a balanced exchange of points, but Clarion managed to briefly pull ahead with a kill by
Emily Klopp at 4-3 and a subsequent attack error by the Wildcats' Nahirka Malpica. Karrick played a pivotal role for Clarion, contributing multiple assists and two consecutive service aces to narrow Daemen's lead to one point at 16-15.
Finley Kearney's kill tied the score at 20-20, but Daemen edged out the Golden Eagles with a 25-23 victory, capitalizing on a late service error by Clarion.
The second set began with Clarion taking control, as Karrick's serves sparked a 6-0 run, including a kill by Stader at 3-0 and a block by
Grayson Kinsman and Klopp at 5-0. Karrick continued to facilitate Clarion's offense, contributing assists on multiple kills, including a key attack by Klopp to make it 12-4. Despite a brief rally by Daemen, Clarion maintained momentum, and
Claire Bickett secured the final point with a kill to close the set at 25-12 and even the match.
The third set began with the Wildcats taking an early lead, capitalizing on a series of attack errors and kills, including a block by Kate Trueblood and Keira Mullen at the outset. Clarion responded with a balanced effort from Karrick, who contributed several assists, including a kill by Kearney that brought the score to a 7-7 tie. Despite a late rally featuring a service ace from Karrick and key kills from Stader, Daemen's consistent scoring, highlighted by Mullen's late kills, secured their 25-17 victory in the set.
The fourth set saw Clarion seize control early with a 2-0 start, highlighted by Stader's kill from Karrick at the opening point. The Golden Eagles maintained momentum through a handful of big plays, including a block by Kinsman and Klopp, bringing the score to 5-3. As the Wildcats closed the gap, Clarion responded with a service ace by
Haley Fledderjohann, pushing their lead to 13-9. Despite Daemen's attempts at a comeback, the Golden Eagles capitalized on key errors and secured the set with a final score of 25-21, clinched by Stader's decisive kill from
Kylie Barto.
In the decisive fifth set, Clarion surged ahead early with a block by Kinsman and Klopp, and a kill from Fledderjohann to take a 2-0 lead. After a brief tie at 6-6, the Golden Eagles regained momentum with a service ace by Barto and a kill by Kearney, extending their advantage to 9-6. Karrick and Staeder put the finishing touches on the win, with Stader recording the final two kills of the match for the Golden Eagles.
Stader logged a double-double of 16 kills and 14 digs, marking her second straight match with 16 or more kills. Bickett, meanwhile, added 10 kills. The Golden Eagles' block was strong all night long, accounting for 14 total team blocks; Klopp recorded eight blocks, Kinsman seven, and Kearney six. Fledderjohann had a team-high 21 digs.
