NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Clarion (7-7, 1-0 PSAC) fell to Walsh (9-3, 3-0 G-MAC) in a tense five-set match at Alumni Arena on Tuesday, with the Cavaliers rallying from two sets down to win by scores of 30-28, 25-23, 24-26, 22-25, and 13-15.
The Golden Eagles won a pair of tight sets to open the match, including a marathon in the first set and another close result in the second. The Cavaliers responded with a trio of close wins, out-hitting the Golden Eagles in the final three sets and coming away with the win. Ultimately Walsh rallied from a big deficit in the fifth set, scoring eight of the final 10 points in the set.
The fifth set began with momentum swings as both teams traded points early.
Raegan Stader initiated the scoring with a kill, and Clarion took a lead with a service ace by
Lauren Fjerstad and an attack error by Walsh, pushing the score to 3-1. The Golden Eagles extended their advantage to 6-2, highlighted by a kill from
Finley Kearney and a Walsh attack error. Clarion managed to maintain a lead at 10-5 with a block by Kearney and another kill from Stader.
As the set progressed, Walsh mounted a comeback, tying the score at 13-13. Despite Clarion's efforts, Walsh capitalized on a late attack error by Karrick to take the lead and eventually secured the set 15-13.
The Golden Eagles excelled on the serve in the match, dishing out 10 aces. Karrick had three of those aces, and the freshman right side had her second straight triple-double with 12 kills, 19 assists and 15 digs.
Claire Bickett added 12 kills and 21 digs while Kearney had 11 kills and three blocks.
Clarion opened the first set with an early response after Walsh initially took the lead. A combination of kills from
Finley Kearney and
Natalie Karrick kept Clarion in contention early. Midway, Clarion found momentum with a series of scoring plays, including
Grayson Kinsman's kill and a block from
Karlee Berchtold, allowing them to edge ahead at 7-5. The Cavaliers eventually took a 23-20 lead but the Golden Eagles rallied with three straight points, including kills by Bickett and Kearney. Bickett had a kill to tie the set at 28 later on and then combined with Kearney to force set point. Bickett added a kill on set point for the lead.
Clarion began the second set with a strong start, utilizing a kill by Karrick and a service ace from
Kylie Barto to take an early lead. They maintained momentum with Karrick's consistent offensive contributions and a block by Kearney that kept Walsh from closing the gap. The score remained tight in the mid-set, but Clarion's effective blocking and timely kills from Kinsman and
Raegan Stader provided a slight edge. Although Walsh rallied late to tie the score at 22, Clarion regained control with a kill from Bickett. The set concluded with Clarion securing a 25-23 victory on a Walsh setting error, extending their advantage in the match.
The Cavaliers battled back in the next two sets, though, extending the match. The third set was tied at 24 before Sammie DiBease broke the tie with a kill, and a block error by the Golden Eagles gave Walsh the opening they needed for a comeback. The Cavaliers again took a lead late in the fourth set, going ahead 23-19 and putting the set away at 25-22 on a kill by Kameron Stover.
