CLARION, Pa. — The Golden Eagles volleyball team jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and then held on to defeat Findlay 3-2 (25-19, 25-16, 17-25, 17-25, 15-11) on Sunday in Tippin Gym. Clarion took the first two sets handily but needed a bounce back to take the fifth set, scoring four of the last five points for the victory.
The Golden Eagles scored four of the final five points after a 10-10 tie in the fifth set, with
Raegan Stader putting the home side back in front and
Taylor Haupt adding a late kill before an Oilers attack error finished the marathon win. Earlier, the Golden Eagles answered the opening point with a 4-0 stretch that included an
Emily Klopp kill, a
Lauren Fjerstad ace, and a block from
Finley Kearney and Klopp. The Oilers worked back to tie the set at 5-5 and later moved ahead 7-6, but
Natalie Karrick's kill and a block from
Raegan Stader and
Cara Vandeborne. Vandeborne helped the Golden Eagles regain separation at 9-7. After the Oilers tied it again at 10-10, the Golden Eagles closed the set with Karrick serving for two points during the late push and finished off the deciding set at 15-11.
Clarion's defense at the net proved crucial to the win, with Vandeborne posting 13 total blocks, tying a program single-match record last matched in 2015 by Gabrielle Olson.
Kalina Powell led the Golden Eagles with 22 digs, while
Lauren Fjerstad collected 19 digs and added a service ace.
Natalie Karrick finished with nine kills, 18 assists, 10 digs, and four blocks, coming up just one kill shy of a triple-double.
The Golden Eagles broke open the first set from a 15-13 edge with six straight points, using
Marisa Markou's five-point service stretch, two
Taylor Haupt kills, and back-to-back blocks by Haupt and
Cara Vandeborne to move ahead 21-13. Earlier, the Golden Eagles answered a 3-1 deficit by tying the set at 4-4 and taking a 5-4 lead on Markou's service ace, then built separation to 13-8 with help from Oilers attack errors. The Oilers trimmed the margin with three straight points before
Finley Kearney and Haupt put down consecutive kills to steady the Golden Eagles at 15-12.
Raegan Stader delivered kills for the Golden Eagles' 23rd and 24th points, and the home side closed the set 25-19.
The Golden Eagles broke open the second set with a 7-0 run from 17-14 to 24-14, with
Taylor Haupt serving six straight points that included two aces. Earlier, after the Oilers scored the opening point, the Golden Eagles answered with a block-assisted error and kills from
Emily Klopp and
Finley Kearney to move ahead 3-1, then built an 8-3 edge behind
Natalie Karrick's kill and a Karrick-Vandeborne block. The Oilers worked back within 17-14, but the Golden Eagles responded with Vandeborne's kill from
Marisa Markou before Haupt's service stretch added separation. After the Oilers scored twice at set point,
Raegan Stader finished the set with a kill from Markou for a 25-16 Golden Eagles win.
The Golden Eagles dropped the third set 25-17 after the Oilers broke from a 4-4 tie with four straight points and kept the Golden Eagles from drawing even again. The Golden Eagles had moved in front early on a block by
Emily Klopp and Vandeborne, then answered the first Oilers push with a
Taylor Haupt ace and a
Raegan Stader/Vandeborne block to pull within 8-7. Stader,
Natalie Karrick, Klopp, Haupt, and Vandeborne supplied kills through the middle of the set, including back-to-back Golden Eagles points that cut the Oilers' lead to 16-13. Vandeborne added three late kills for the Golden Eagles, but the Oilers reached set point at 24-16 and closed the set on a Hannah Miller kill.
The Golden Eagles spent the fourth set working from an early deficit after the Oilers moved ahead 5-1, with
Taylor Haupt and
Emily Klopp answering on consecutive kills to cut it to 5-3.
Natalie Karrick helped the Golden Eagles respond with two kills early in the set and teamed with Vandeborne on blocks that produced points at 10-7 and 20-15. The Oilers widened the gap to 13-7 and later 19-13, while the Golden Eagles got kills from
Finley Kearney, Haupt, and
Kayden McKinney in their attempts to close the margin. After the Golden Eagles reached 20-15 on the second Karrick-Vandeborne block, the Oilers scored four straight points to go up 24-15 before the Golden Eagles added two late points in a 25-17 set loss.
