ERIE, Pa. — Taking on the top team in the Atlantic Region in the most recent NPI ranking, Clarion (17-7, 8-3 PSAC) lost to Gannon (19-4, 9-2 PSAC) by a match score of 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 20-25, 9-15) on Friday. Clarion took two of the first three sets but the Golden Knights countered with wins in the fourth and fifth sets to secure the win.
The Golden Eagles held off Gannon's late push to take the first set 25-23, answering a 23-23 tie with a
Cara Vandeborne-
Emily Klopp block and a
Taylor Haupt kill from
Marisa Markou. Earlier,
Finley Kearney opened the match with a kill from
Natalie Karrick before
Lauren Fjerstad served the Golden Eagles through four straight points for a 5-0 lead, a stretch that included two Haupt kills and two Gannon errors. The Golden Eagles continued to find side-out points through Haupt, Kearney, Karrick and
Raegan Stader while
Kalina Powell added a service ace to help keep Clarion in front. Gannon repeatedly cut into the margin and tied the set at 23-23, but the Golden Eagles scored the final two points to finish the set.
The Golden Eagles erased a 14-11 deficit in the second set and later led 19-17, but Gannon answered late to take the set 25-20. Earlier, Karrick served the Golden Eagles to a 3-0 start, with Stader and Kearney putting down kills around Karrick's ace, before Gannon moved ahead 11-6. The Golden Eagles worked back behind kills from Karrick and Stader, then Fjerstad's serve carried a four-point push that included a Haupt kill, Fjerstad ace and a Gannon attack error to put the Golden Eagles in front 15-14. Haupt added another kill and Powell followed with an ace for a 17-15 edge, and after Klopp's kill helped the Golden Eagles reach 18-16, a Gannon service error made it 19-17 before Gannon scored five straight; Vandeborne stopped that run with a kill, but Gannon took the final three points.
The Golden Eagles turned a 6-4 deficit into a 13-6 lead with a nine-point run, with Haupt serving the final eight points of the burst and adding a kill and an ace. Karrick, Stader and Vandeborne helped drive the run with front-row points, including a Karrick-Vandeborne block, before Karrick added another kill to push the margin to 12-6. The Golden Eagles kept extending the set after Gannon stopped the run, getting a Vandeborne kill and a short
Alaina Ceo service stretch that included a Stader kill on the way to a 17-7 advantage. Gannon worked back to 20-15, but Klopp answered with a kill, and the Golden Eagles closed the set with late kills from Haupt and Stader before finishing the 25-18 win on a Gannon attack error.
The Golden Eagles overcame an early deficit in the fourth set, turning a 5-8 score into a 9-8 lead behind a Karrick-Vandeborne block and back-to-back kills from Karrick and Haupt. Earlier, Karrick opened the set with consecutive service aces, but Gannon responded to move in front before the Golden Eagles' mid-set push. After Gannon answered with four straight points for a 12-9 lead, the Golden Eagles worked back again, getting a Kearney kill and two Gannon errors to tie the set at 14-14. The teams traded points through the middle stages, with Stader, Kearney and Karrick adding kills to keep the Golden Eagles close, but Gannon moved ahead late and took the set, 25-20.
The Golden Eagles built a 7-5 lead in the fifth set, but Gannon answered with the closing separation and took the set 15-9. Kearney opened the frame with a kill from Karrick, and Klopp added a kill before the Golden Eagles moved back level at 5-5 on a Gannon attack error. Vandeborne's block put the Golden Eagles ahead 6-5, and Stader followed with a kill from Markou to make it 7-5. After Gannon moved back in front, Stader added another kill to pull the Golden Eagles within 9-8, and Kearney's block brought the Golden Eagles to 10-9 before Gannon scored the final five points.
Haupt finished with 15 kills, 20 digs and 16 points for the Golden Eagles. Stader added 15 kills while hitting .238 and collected five digs. Markou recorded 28 assists and 10 digs. Karrick totaled 23 assists, eight kills, six digs and three service aces.
