CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team held off a spirited effort by a young Millersville team, winning a tight fourth set to defeat the Marauders 3-1 (25-11, 25-27, 25-14, 28-26) at Tippin Gymnasium on Friday.
(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)
The Golden Eagles (14-10, 8-4 PSAC) return to action tomorrow afternoon when they host Shippensburg.
Taylor Braunagel had a match-high 20 kills, while Lauryn Driscoll added 14 kills of her own. Olivia Olson finished just one kill shy of a double-double, notching nine kills and 10 blocks against the Marauders. Catherine Ferragonio finished with a match-high 28 digs, and three other players – Marissa Robertson(16), Morgan Herold (15) and Leah Vensel (10) – recorded double-digits.
Clarion finished with 12.0 team blocks, compared to just 6.0 team blocks for Millersville. The Golden Eagles also excelled in back row defense, recording 85 digs compared to just 62 from the Marauders. Millersville hit negative in two of the four sets in the match while Clarion hit .224 on the evening.
Clarion dominated the first and third sets, going on a 12-2 run midway through the first set to build a 19-9 lead. Robertson won the race to 20 for the Golden Eagles with a kill and Driscoll made it 23-10 with another. Driscoll delivered the set winner, taking a back set from Kaley Pittsley and smashing it home to make it 25-11.
The Marauders overcame a 20-11 deficit in the second set to shock the Golden Eagles, winning 26-24, but things again appeared to be going Clarion’s way in the third. Millersville posted no real challenge as back-to-back service aces from Vensel made it 15-8 and forced a timeout from the Marauders. Robertson put the Golden Eagles ahead 20-11 and this time they finished, finishing the set at 25-14 with a kill from Robertson.
The fourth set was again a close one, though this time it was Clarion who came back and got the best of Millersville. The Marauders led 24-20 after Erin Harman and Kara Wirt blocked Braunagel, but the defense got things untracked for Clarion. Olson and Braunagel blocked Harman to make it 24-22, and Braunagel delivered a kill to cut the lead to one point. Olson and Braunagel again combined to block Harman, tying the score at 24, and Clarion took a one-point lead after a Millersville error.
Olson and Mackenzie Biggs blocked Brittany Ford to force match point a second time, at 27-26, and Braunagel tipped a kill over on the next point to seal the win.
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