INDIANA, Pa. — The Golden Eagle volleyball team fell to the top-seeded team in the PSAC West on Saturday, as Clarion (20-9, 10-4 PSAC) lost to IUP (23-5, 12-2 PSAC) by a match score of 3-0 (15-25, 19-25, 20-25) in the semifinal round of the PSAC Tournament.
Clarion will now await its fate regarding a bid in the upcoming NCAA Atlantic Regional, with the selection show set for Sunday evening.
The Golden Eagles spent the opening set chasing after the Crimson Hawks surged to a 4-0 lead, before Raegan Stader and Finley Kearney combined on a block to put Clarion on the board. Emily Klopp, Natalie Karrick, Cara Vandeborne and Stader added early kills to chip into the deficit, and a service ace from Lauren Fjerstad moved the score to 8-13. Clarion later pulled within 10-14 on a Kearney kill and an IUP attack error, then got kills from Vandeborne and Taylor Haupt to stay within 13-16. The Crimson Hawks answered with five straight points to stretch the margin to 21-13, and although Karrick and Kearney added late kills, the hosts closed out the frame 25-15.
Clarion opened the second set with a 3-1 advantage following a Kayden McKinney kill off a Karrick set, an IUP attack error and a Fjerstad ace. However, the Crimson Hawks rallied to take a 4-3 edge before Klopp halted the run with a kill to deadlock the score at 4-4. IUP used a four-point surge to build an 8-4 cushion, though Klopp added kills at 5-8, 10-16 and 14-20 to keep the Golden Eagles within striking distance. Clarion also picked up points from Haupt, Karrick, Kearney and Vandeborne, while Karrick teamed up with Kearney and Vandeborne on separate blocks. The Golden Eagles trimmed the margin to 21-17 on a Concannon attack error during a Haupt service run, but the Crimson Hawks closed out the set 25-19.
The Golden Eagles mounted their strongest push late in the third set, winning seven of eight rallies from a 23-13 deficit to reach 24-20 before IUP sealed the 25-20 win. Earlier in the frame, Clarion capitalized on a Crimson Hawks service error and traded points behind kills from Kearney, before IUP built an 11-4 lead and later extended the margin to 16-5. McKinney, Haupt and Karrick supplied kills to side out through the middle of the set, with McKinney adding points at 8-17 and 13-22 to set up the late surge. During the closing stretch, McKinney sparked the run with a kill from Karrick, Kearney and Haupt combined for a block, Haupt delivered two kills, and Vandeborne finished a Karrick set to bring Clarion within 24-20 before the Crimson Hawks claimed match point.
Kalina Powell paced the Golden Eagles defensively with 18 digs while adding four assists. Karrick finished with 17 assists, six digs, four kills and three block assists, while Haupt tallied six kills and 10 digs. Vandeborne added four kills on seven swings for a .429 hitting percentage alongside two block assists.
