CLARION, Pa. — The Golden Eagles volleyball team kicked off conference action at home with yet another match that went the distance, as Clarion (6-6, 1-0 PSAC) edged out Slippery Rock (7-6, 0-1 PSAC) in a five-set thriller in Tippin Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Golden Eagles secured the victory with set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, and 15-8.
In what might even be considered a ho-hum occurrence at this point, the match went to a decisive fifth set. This is hardly news for the Golden Eagles in 2025; of their 12 matches this season, eight of them have now gone to five sets. By comparison, Clarion played nine five-set matches all of last season, and six combined in 2022-23.
The Golden Eagles overcame The Rock on Wednesday night with an effective defensive effort, as well as an improved offensive attack that gained steam as the match went on. Clarion recorded a .239 hitting percentage and 11 total blocks, overcoming The Rock's .144 hitting percentage.
Clarion initiated the fifth set with an impressive run, highlighted by a
Karlee Berchtold kill.
Claire Bickett followed with two consecutive kills, propelling Clarion to a 5-0 lead. SRU struggled with errors, aiding in the Golden Eagles' scoring streak. The Rock attempted to rally with Marley Annis and Lauren VonderHaar securing points, closing the gap to 8-6.
Finley Kearney provided key plays on back-to-back points, blocking Ava Haynes to make it 9-6 and then bouncing a kill to up the lead to four points.
Bickett and
Natalie Karrick continued to seize the moment, with the latter getting a solo block of her own. Kearney forced set point with a kill and an error by the Rock sealed the set and the match for Clarion.
Bickett led the Clarion team with 18 kills and added 14 digs for a double-double, while Karrick came within two kills of a triple-double with eight kills, 24 assists and 11 digs.
Haley Fledderjohann contributed significantly on defense, recording 31 digs.
Karlee Berchtold had perhaps the best match of her career, recording 11 kills and hitting .320.
Lauren Fjerstad was effective from the service line, delivering four aces and keeping The Rock out of system.
The first set began with Clarion and SRU exchanging early points, each team capitalizing on attack opportunities. The Golden Eagles seized the momentum with steady contributions from
Finley Kearney and
Natalie Karrick, eventually taking a 15-10 lead. Clarion led as late as 17-16 but The Rock eventually took the lead, and secured a narrow 25-23 victory.
Clarion opened the second set with a steady performance, capitalizing on early errors by SRU to build a 12-6 lead. Key contributions came from
Claire Bickett with a kill and service aces by
Lauren Fjerstad, which extended Clarion's advantage. The Rock made a push midway through for the second consecutive set, tying the score at 19-19. However, pivotal kills from
Natalie Karrick and
Karlee Berchtold helped Clarion regain control. The home team closed out the set with a decisive kill by Berchtold, securing a 25-23 win to tie the match.
The teams continued to battle it out, with Clarion winning decisively in the third set to take a 2-1 lead. Slippery Rock went up 23-19 in the fourth set but the Golden Eagles very nearly negated the need for a fifth set, scoring four straight points and tying the set on a kill by Berchtold. The Rock regained their composure, taking the final two points and forcing a fifth.
