CLARION, Pa. — The Golden Eagle volleyball team wrapped up a perfect conference weekend at home with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 20-25, 25-22) win over Edinboro on Saturday. Clarion snapped what had been a three-match losing streak to the Fighting Scots, winning their first over Edinboro in Tippin Gymnasium since 2023.
After taking the first two sets rather handily, the Golden Eagles responded to a tough third set with a strong fourth, hitting .314 in the last frame against the Fighting Scots. Edinboro scored the first four points of the set and led 9-3 at one point, but Clarion responded with a 7-1 run of their own, with Taylor Haupt and Natalie Karrick recording kills and Raegan Stader contributing a block. Earlier, the Fighting Scots claimed the first four rallies before the Golden Eagles answered with kills from Stader and Haupt, both set by Karrick, and later got a Finley Kearney kill following back-to-back Fighting Scots points.
After that stretch, the Golden Eagles continued to get points from several spots, including a Marisa Markou kill, a Kalina Powell ace, a Markou ace, and late kills by Stader and Karrick. Haupt delivered the final kill from Karrick, and the Golden Eagles closed the fourth set with a 25-22 win.
Karrick led the Golden Eagles with 12 kills while hitting .524 and added 22 assists, nine digs and three blocks. Markou recorded a team-high 26 assists and added nine digs and a service ace. Powell collected a team-high 16 digs and added two service aces. Kearney finished with nine kills and a team-high eight total blocks.
Clarion claimed the opening set 25-20 behind five kills from Karrick and four from Haupt. Despite an early deficit, kills from Emily Klopp and Haupt set by Karrick, paired with a Haupt and Cara Vandeborne block, sparked the offense. After Edinboro mounted a mid-set push, Karrick answered with a kill from Markou before a four-point run—highlighted by a triple block from Haupt, Kearney, and Klopp—put Clarion ahead. Markou then distributed down the stretch, connecting with Karrick, Haupt, and Vandeborne before a Stader block sealed the set.
The Golden Eagles dominated the second frame behind an early seven-point surge fueled by Lauren Fjerstad, who served six straight points with two aces. Kearney and Klopp combined for two blocks during the burst, and Klopp later halted a Fighting Scots rally with a kill. Haupt added two aces and a kill, while Karrick took over late with three kills down the stretch—including set point—to finish off a 25-17 victory.
Edinboro rallied to take the third set 25-20, using a pivotal seven-point run to hold off Clarion. The Golden Eagles stayed within striking distance through kills from Vandeborne, Haupt, and Klopp, along with aces from Fjerstad and Powell. Late blocks by Kearney, Stader, and Klopp helped Clarion close the gap, but the Fighting Scots held on to force a fourth set.
