CALIFORNIA, Pa. — Thanks in part to a dominant fifth set where the Golden Eagles hit nearly .700, Clarion volleyball defeated California (PA) 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-7) on Friday. The Golden Eagles hit .692 in the fifth set, putting down 10 kills with one error on 13 attacks.
After the Vulcans tied the match at 2-2 with a fairly convincing fourth-set win, the Golden Eagles wasted no time dispatching their PennWest sistren in the fifth set, scoring five straight points to start the frame and keeping the heat on from there. After Cal got within 5-2, Clarion answered with consistent sideouts, including another Finley Kearney kill and Haupt kills that pushed the margin to 7-2, 9-3 and 10-4. Emily Klopp and Cara Vandeborne combined on a block for an 8-3 lead, while Marisa Markou assisted three mid-set kills as the Golden Eagles maintained separation. Natalie Karrick added a kill for 11-5 and another point on her own swing for 13-6 before Clarion reached match point on a Cal attack error. Kearney finished the set with a kill from Karrick, sealing the 15-7 victory.
Kearney was a dominant force from start to finish, leading the Golden Eagles with 22 kills, 26.0 points and eight total blocks while hitting .432. Haupt finished with 16 kills, 17 digs, three blocks and 18.5 points. Karrick recorded 42 assists, 12 digs and eight kills, while Lauren Fjerstad collected 20 digs and served four aces.
Before the fifth-set fireworks, the two sides traded punches across four tightly contested frames.
The Golden Eagles broke open the first set by winning seven of eight points to move from an 8-6 edge to a 15-7 lead, with Haupt serving an ace, Raegan Stader teaming on two blocks and Hayden Gessner serving during four straight Golden Eagles points. Earlier, Clarion started quickly with kills from Kearney, Haupt and Klopp around a Vandeborne/Klopp block to go ahead 6-2, and Vandeborne answered a Cal push with kills that kept the Golden Eagles in front. After Cal cut into the margin, Klopp, Haupt, Vandeborne, Karrick, Kearney and Stader all put down late kills, with Haupt and Vandeborne also combining for the block point that made it 19-13. Cal scored three straight after the Golden Eagles reached 24-18, but Kearney finished the set from Karrick for a 25-21 Clarion win.
The Golden Eagles turned an 18-16 deficit into a 21-19 lead in the second set with kills from Karrick, Haupt and Stader, plus a block by Stader and Kearney. Earlier, Clarion opened the frame with a Kearney kill and a Karrick ace, then used contributions from Klopp, Fjerstad, Markou, Kalina Powell and Vandeborne to build a 14-10 advantage. Cal worked back to tie the set at 16-16 and moved in front 18-16 before Clarion made its late push. After Cal recovered to lead 22-21, Kearney tied the set with a kill and later pulled the Golden Eagles within 24-23, but Lexi Muck's kill closed out a 25-23 set for Cal.
Clarion created separation in the third set with Fjerstad at the service line, turning a 19-17 edge into a 23-17 advantage on a block by Klopp, Haupt and Kearney, a Klopp kill and back-to-back Fjerstad aces. Earlier, the Golden Eagles matched Cal through a tight start, getting four early kills from Kearney and three from Haupt as the set moved through a 15-15 tie. Stader helped the Golden Eagles move in front from there with a kill for 16-15 and a block with Kearney for 17-15, and Markou and Stader later added kills that kept Clarion ahead at 19-17. Cal won two points after Fjerstad's serving run, but Kearney answered with a kill to bring the Golden Eagles to set point before a Cal attack error closed the 25-20 set win.
Clarion fell behind 3-0 in the fourth set, then answered with five straight points, starting with a Kearney kill and continuing on Fjerstad's serve as Kearney added two more kills and Haupt put down two to move the Golden Eagles ahead 5-3. Clarion continued to answer through a 10-10 tie, with Klopp, Stader and Haupt contributing kills, before Cal scored the next five points and forced the Golden Eagles to work from a 15-10 deficit. When Cal's lead reached 20-14, Clarion responded again: Stader's kill returned serve, and Gessner's service turn produced a Cal error, another Stader kill and a Kearney/Karrick block that brought the set to 20-18. Stader later cut it to 21-19, and the Golden Eagles added late points on Cal errors, but the home team took the set 25-21 to force the decisive fifth.
