AMHERST, N.Y. — The Golden Eagles wrapped up their weekend at the Daemen Invitational on Saturday, dropping a pair of matches on the final day of the tournament. Clarion fell in straight sets to Wayne State (Mich.) in the early match, and then lost in a five-set thriller to Dallas Baptist in the afternoon.
At the conclusion of the tournament,
Raegan Stader and
Haley Fledderjohann were named to the All-Tournament team.
Wayne State (Mich.) 3, Clarion 0 (25-21, 25-9, 25-20)
RECAP: The opening set featured a competitive battle, with Clarion gaining an early edge at 3-1 after capitalizing on the Warriors' attack errors, including a block by
Emily Klopp. However, the Warriors responded with a decisive run, extending their lead to 8-4, driven by strong plays from Leigha Baldwin. The Golden Eagles remained alive late in the set with a 3-0 run that included kills by
Finley Kearney and
Raegan Stader, but Saige Martin and Katerina Stout recorded kills on the final two points of the set for a 25-21 win.
Wayne State seized control early in the second set and did not relinquish it, capitalizing on a series of attack errors by Clarion to establish a quick 7-1 lead. That advantage improved to 12-2 after a kill by Paige Giehtbrock, and the Warriors led by double-digits the rest of the set en route to the 25-9 win.
The third set began with the Warriors taking an early 4-0 lead, capitalizing on errors by the Golden Eagles, including a service ace by Kayla Dulgar. Clarion rallied with a sequence featuring key kills by
Grayson Kinsman and
Taylor Haupt, narrowing the gap to 8-6. Despite a spirited effort by Clarion, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Kearney and a crucial block by Haupt, Wayne State closed the set at 25-20, taking the final three points.
Kearney recorded five kills and three total blocks. Haupt was efficient in her appearances, tallying four kills with a .300 hitting percentage and adding a solo block.
Dallas Baptist 3, Clarion 2 (23-25, 25-15, 21-25, 29-27, 15-6)
RECAP: Similar to the previous night's match against Daemen, it was a back-and-forth battle across the first four sets, with both teams seizing - and then subsequently ceding - momentum. The fourth set proved to be the most nerve-wracking, as the Patriots fought their way back into the match to force a fifth set.
The fourth was an intense contest between the two teams, marked by several shifts in momentum. The Golden Eagles led by a score of 19-15 but the Patriots rallied with seven of the next nine points, taking a 22-21 lead. Then it was Clarion's turn to punch back;
Raegan Stader and
Emily Klopp contributed kills to take a 23-22 lead. The next two points went DBU's way, and from there it was a strict series of point trading, until the Patriots finally broke the pattern with a service ace to make it 29-27.
The fifth set began with the Patriots taking an early lead as Clarion faced a series of attack errors, resulting in a 4-0 start for the Patriots, with Lauren Witte contributing a key kill. Stader responded with a kill, but the Patriots continued to extend their advantage, aided by multiple kills from Wells. Clarion managed to rally with points from
Taylor Haupt and a service ace by
Kylie Barto, closing the gap somewhat before the Patriots secured a 15-6 set victory.
The opening set saw a tightly contested clash as Clarion edged the Patriots 25-23. The Golden Eagles capitalized on a crucial mid-set surge, featuring a four-point run with
Natalie Karrick contributing multiple kills and
Haley Fledderjohann delivering a service ace to gain the lead Barto's back-to-back service aces widened the gap, and
Lauren Fjerstad secured the final point with a decisive kill, sealing the set for Clarion.
The early part of the second set primarily favored the Patriots, as they took a 6-3 lead, with Clarion responding through a kill by Kearney. Despite a service ace from Fledderjohann narrowing the gap, Dallas Baptist pulled away with a series of successful plays. Karrick and
Emily Klopp provided brief resistance with key kills, yet a 5-0 run by the Patriots stretched their lead. Clarion fought back with a late service ace from
Grayson Kinsman and a block by
Anne Wadle, but Dallas Baptist secured the set 25-15.
The third set began with a tight exchange of points, as Clarion and the Patriots traded early blows.
Raegan Stader and
Taylor Haupt combined for key kills, with Stader tallying crucial points, assisted by Karrick and Fledderjohann. Clarion seized momentum midway through the set with a 5-0 run, highlighted by a kill from Kinsman and a block by Kearney, extending the lead. Despite the Patriots' attempts to close the gap, Haupt and Kearney delivered late kills to secure a 25-21 victory for Clarion, ending the set decisively.
Stader led the team with 16 kills, while Karrick chipped in 11 kills. Kinsman excelled defensively with five total blocks, and FledderJohann had a team-high 26 digs. Barto served up four aces.
