Clarion Athletics

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. --- The Golden Eagles volleyball team picked up a split on the first day of the Atlantic Region Crossover, falling 3-1 (13-25, 24-26, 25-22, 23-25) to Fairmont State in the opener before beating West Liberty 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-22) in the second match of the day.
 
Fairmont State 3, Clarion 1

RECAP: The Falcons handily took the first set, embarking on an 11-1 run that turned an 11-7 lead into a 22-8 advantage. The Golden Eagles overcame a 4-0 start by the Falcons in the second set and turned a 5-3 deficit into a 13-5 lead with a 10-point surge, highlighted by nine straight service points from Kalina Powell. During that stretch, Emily Klopp and Taylor Haupt put down kills, Powell added an ace, and the Falcons committed several attack errors.
 
The Falcons worked back into the set, but the Golden Eagles answered with kills from Haupt, Cara Vandeborne, Kayden McKinney, Finley Kearney and Emily Klopp before an attack error put the Golden Eagles at 23-20. The Falcons then scored four straight points to get to set point; Vandeborne tied it at 24-24, but the Falcons took the next two points to hand the Golden Eagles a 26-24 second-set loss.
 
The Golden Eagles used an opening 6-0 surge and late kills from Taylor Haupt to take the third set, 25-22. The Golden Eagles started with a Falcons service error, then scored five straight points on Haupt's serve behind kills from Vandeborne and Raegan Stader, a Haupt ace and a block by Marisa Markou and Vandeborne. After the Falcons closed to 8-5, the Golden Eagles rebuilt separation with a Finley Kearney kill, a Haupt kill and consecutive block points credited to Vandeborne to reach 12-6. Natalie Karrick later served three straight aces to push the Golden Eagles ahead 20-13, and after the Falcons cut the margin to 23-21, Haupt delivered kills for points 24 and 25 to finish the set.
 
The Golden Eagles built a 20-17 lead in the fourth set after trailing 17-16, but the Falcons answered late and took the set 25-23. Earlier, Marisa Markou served the Golden Eagles to the first four points with three aces around a Falcons attack error, and she added another ace later to put the Golden Eagles ahead 12-10. After the Falcons moved in front 16-14, kills by Raegan Stader, Finley Kearney and Anne Wadle helped the Golden Eagles get back to 16-16 before Lauren Fjerstad's ace and another Kearney kill were part of the push to 20-17. The Falcons tied the set at 20-20, and after Kearney put the Golden Eagles back ahead 21-20, the visitors scored the next four points before the Golden Eagles got within 24-23 on a Vandeborne kill and a Vandeborne-Taylor Haupt block.
 
Taylor Haupt led the Golden Eagles with 11 kills and shared the team high with 24 digs, adding one ace and three total blocks. Vandeborne recorded seven kills while hitting .294 and led the team with six total blocks. Natalie Karrick finished with a team-high 25 assists, 10 digs and three service aces. Marisa Markou added nine assists, six digs and a team-best four aces.
 
Clarion 3, West Liberty 0
 
The Golden Eagles finished the match by scoring the final eight points of the third set after trailing 22-17.
 
The Golden Eagles created the first clear separation of the opening set with Lauren Fjerstad serving, turning a 5-4 edge into a 9-4 lead on three Hilltopper attack errors and a Taylor Haupt kill from Kalina Powell. Earlier, the Golden Eagles answered the Hilltoppers' opening ace with Cara Vandeborne's block on an attack error, then moved in front as Raegan Stader finished a kill from Natalie Karrick. Emily Klopp, Marisa Markou and Stader added points through the middle of the set, with Markou serving an ace and Stader recording three kills in a four-point span that pushed the Golden Eagles ahead 18-12. The Golden Eagles kept the margin late behind a Finley Kearney block, a Haupt kill, a Vandeborne kill and Vandeborne's service ace before a Hilltopper attack error closed out a 25-17 first-set win.
 
The Golden Eagles turned the second set with a nine-point surge after falling behind 8-3, moving in front 12-8 behind a Raegan Stader sideout kill and eight straight service points from Lauren Fjerstad. During Fjerstad's run, Taylor Haupt put down three kills, Fjerstad added two aces, and Finley Kearney contributed a block touch and a kill as the Golden Eagles flipped the set. When the Hilltoppers cut the margin to 12-10, the Golden Eagles responded with a service-error point and back-to-back defensive points, first on an Emily Klopp block and then on a Vandeborne-Klopp block, to go up 15-10. The Hilltoppers later got within 19-18, but the Golden Eagles answered with a Stader kill, two points on Fjerstad's serve, and Emily Klopp kills at 23-19 and 24-20 before a Vandeborne-Haupt block finished the 25-20 set win.
 
The Golden Eagles closed the third set by erasing a 22-17 deficit with eight straight points, finishing the set on Vandeborne's serve for a 25-22 win. Earlier, the Golden Eagles worked back from a 10-5 hole with kills from Vandeborne, Raegan Stader and Taylor Haupt, while blocks involving Vandeborne, Anne Wadle and Finley Kearney helped keep the set within reach. Emily Klopp's kill and a Vandeborne-Wadle block tied the set at 16-16, and Haupt answered again for a 17-17 tie before the Hilltoppers moved back in front at 22-17. The Golden Eagles' final push included a Raegan Stader kill, a Finley Kearney kill, a Kearney block, a Vandeborne service ace, and another Stader kill before a Hilltopper attack error ended the set at 25-22.
 
Stader led the Golden Eagles with 13 kills. Haupt added nine kills on a .429 hitting percentage and collected 12 digs. Vandeborne recorded seven total blocks, including three solo blocks, and added four kills and two service aces. Finley Kearney posted five total blocks, with three solo blocks and two block assists.
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