CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team rebounded from a sluggish start and dominated down the stretch, winning three straight sets to close out a 3-1 (21-25, 30-28, 25-17, 25-13) win over Seton Hill at Tippin Gymnasium.
(Photo courtesy of Clarion Athletics)
The Golden Eagles (13-10, 7-4 PSAC) withstood a late flurry from the Griffins in the second set and cruised to wins in the final two for the victory.
In the process, two members of the team achieved significant personal milestones. Taylor Braunagel finished with a match-high 16 kills and eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark in the process, while Catherine Ferragonio’s 22 digs made her the latest Golden Eagle to surpass 1,000 career digs.
Mackenzie Biggs contributed 13 kills and hit .400, while Lauryn Driscoll (14) and Marissa Robertson (11) both broke double-digits as well. Robertson added another double-double to her season total with 16 digs and Leah Vensel recorded one of her own with 55 assists and 11 digs. Olivia Olson posted nine kills and six blocks.
Clarion hit .270 as a team and held the Griffins to just a .145 attack percentage, controlling the match with play at the net. The Golden Eagles recorded 8.0 team blocks and added 88 team digs, 20 more than the Griffins mustered.
Perhaps the turning point of the match was the flurry of action late in the second set that ultimately ended in a Clarion win. Things were all knotted up at 28 when the Clarion defense put on a show to seal the win. The Golden Eagles recovered from several covered balls by the Griffins to break the tie on a kill by Olson. On the next play, Ferragonio made a diving pancake dig to prevent another Seton Hill block, and Robertson launched the ball for a kill to make it 30-28.
Clarion pulled away from the Griffins midway through the third set, opening up a four-point lead on back-to-back kills by Robertson to make it 17-13. Braunagel boosted the lead to six points with a kill to make it 22-16, and the junior outside hitter added two more at the end of the set to make it 25-17. The fourth set was never really in question, with the Golden Eagles going ahead 18-10 and wrapping things up on a slide play from Biggs.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY 14TH OF 17TH AT PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Clarion University women’s cross country team took 14th place at the 2016 PSAC Championships Saturday afternoon with a final score of 319. The Golden Eagles return to action October 29th as they take on Lock Haven University.
Sophomore Kayce Bobnar led the way for the Golden Eagles, placing 37th overall in the individual standings with a final time of 24:04.5. Freshman Brianna Leidy and junior Taylor Donia followed closey behind, finishing 62nd and 67th with times of 24:48.1 and 24:55.5, respectively.
Closing things out for the Blue and Gold were Daneille Vensel, Maria Snyder, Kelsey Murray, and Letizia Collini, with Snyder, Murray, and Collini finishing 82nd, 83rd, and 84th in the indivudial standings.
Team Standings:
1. Shippensburg — 50
2. Bloomsburg — 60
3. East Stroudsburg — 151
4. Lock Haven — 162
5. Seton Hill — 165
6. Kutztown — 180
7. Edinboro — 188
8. Cal U — 200
9. Slippery Rock — 226
10. Mercyhurst — 243
11. West Chester — 272
12. Indiana — 294
13. Mansfield — 313
14. Clarion — 319
15. Gannon — 446
16. Millersville — 461
17. Pitt — Johnstown — 502
Indivudial Standings:
37 Kayce Bobnar 24:04.5
62 Brianna Leidy 24:48.1
67 Taylor Donia 24:55.5
71 Danielle Vensel 25:03.4
82 Maria Snyder 25:19.0
83 Kelsey Murray 25:20.8
84 Letizia Collini 25:25.0
WOMEN’S SOCCER FALLS, 1-0, TO WEST CHESTER
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Clarion women’s soccer team held one of the top teams in the nation to just one goal on the road on Saturday, valiantly battling but falling to the third-ranked and undefeated West Chester Golden Rams in PSAC crossover play. The Golden Eagles (2-13-2, 2-12-1 PSAC) will close out their season next Saturday when they host Bloomsburg for Senior Day on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Clarion allowed one tally to the team that entered the week ranked first in the Atlantic region but stifled them otherwise, holding the Golden Rams to just six total shots on net. Krista Mosi stood tall in net, allowing just Erica Hansen’s goal from the top of the box in the 34th minute. Mosi made five stops, including all three shots she faced in the second half.
The Golden Eagles weathered the early storm by keeping the Golden Rams away from the keeper despite the fact West Chester attempted five corner kicks in the first half. The defensive corps of Alissa Spencer, Andie Hill, Veronika Noyszewski and Carlee Freeberg, among others, kept the potent West Chester attack at bay and well below their season averages for shots on goal and goals.
WRESTLING BLUE-GOLD MATCH
CLARION, Pa. – The Blue team emerged victorious in the Clarion wrestling team’s first competition of the year, overcoming the Gold team by a score of 25-19 at Tippin Gymnasium.
The Golden Eagles featured 13 matches on Saturday evening, with five of those matches determining who would earn a starting spot at each respective weight class. Those matches were best 2-of-3 competitions, though all but one had started before Saturday’s match. There were also eight exhibition matches between weight classes. The Blue team, captained by Brock Zacherl, got the better of Evan Delong’s Gold team to the tune of a 26-19 score.
Here’s a breakdown of the matches on Saturday.
133
1: Taylor Ortz over Roshaun Cooley Dec. 7-1
In the first 133-pound match of the night, Taylor Ortz got a quick takedown of Roshaun Cooley to open up an early advantage. Ortz made it 3-1 in the second period after starting in the down position and escaping, and took down Cooley less than a minute into the period to take a 5-1 advantage. The match ended at 7-1 after Ortz added one last takedown in the third period.
2: Ortz over Cooley Dec. 5-2
Cooley opened the match with a takedown late in the first period, with Ortz escaping quickly to make it 2-1. Ortz started the second period in the up position and got the tilt against Cooley, earning a four-point near fall to take a 5-2 lead. The third period began with Cooley in the up position, maintaining a solid grasp of Ortz, but he was never able to find additional points as Ortz won the starting spot.
174/184 Exhibition
Dom Rigous over Scott Marmoll SV-2 3-1
In the 174/184 exhibition match between Dom Rigous and Scott Marmoll, neither competitor was able to notch a point in the first period. Marmoll started the second in the up position and racked up a 1:11 ride time advantage but Rigous escaped his grasp to tally the first point. Marmoll escaped from the down position to tie the score but the two would stalemate until a second session of sudden victory, when Rigous finally got a takedown to win the exhibition 3-1.
125
Jake Gromacki over Brendan Howard Dec. 6-0
Jake Gromacki earned the starting spot at 125 pounds with a methodical win over Brendan Howard, working him for two takedowns and avoiding any acts of aggression from his opponent. Gromacki got one final takedown of Howard in the third period and rode it out to add the extra point, claiming the 6-0 win.
184/197 Exhibition
Dustin Conti over Terrell Fields Dec. 6-2
Similar to the last match, Conti was in control of his bout with Fields from essentially the outset, recording a quick early takedown and adding another in the second period to take a 4-2 lead. Conti immediately escaped Fields to start the third period and, thanks to a ride time advantage built in the second period, won by a 6-2 score.
184/197 Exhibition
Adam Soldridge over Edgar Ruano MD 13-2
Ruano played the aggressor early on but Soldridge reversed his attempt on a takedown, gaining control of Ruano before he could score a point and turning it into a takedown of his own. Soldridge gained two back points just before the first period expired to take a 4-0 edge heading into the second. Leading 6-0 heading into the third period, Soldridge escaped to start the session and continued to rack up points, eventually building a 13-2 final advantage.
141
Brock Zacherl over Evan Myers MD 17-4
Zacherl came out and took Myers down within seconds, then rolled him on his back for a near fall and a 4-0 advantage. The assault continued in the second period as Zacherl opened up a 10-3 lead, recording four points – including another takedown – in the middle two minutes. Zacherl logged a takedown and a four-point near fall late in the third period, and the sophomore added his riding time to take the major decision.
125 Exhibition
Patrick DeWitt over Cam Butler Dec. 10-5
The two wrestlers opened the match at something of a stalemate, with neither able to quite get control of the other for a takedown, before DeWitt notched one late in the first period. He took a 5-1 advantage with an escape and a takedown to open the second period and poured it on with another takedown to make it 7-1. Butler got closer with a takedown but DeWitt reversed it to take a 9-4 advantage.
165/174 Exhibition
Paul Zacherl over Cochise Wanzer Dec. 11-4
The match was even and action-filled from the start, with both competitors notching their own takedowns and escapes in the opening minutes. Zacherl started in the down position to start the second period, but reversed his way out of Wanzer’s grasp to take a 7-3 advantage. He held on in the third period to rack up nearly five minutes of ride time and threw in another takedown for good measure to secure the 10-4 decision.
149
Mike Bartolo over Jake Keller Dec. 10-3
Bartolo ripped off three quick takedowns of Keller and entered the second period with a commanding 7-2 advantage. Neither grappler was able to notch a point in the second period, thought Bartolo came back with another takedown in the third period to build a 9-3 advantage. He added a ride time point to take both the match and the starting spot at 149 pounds.
285 Exhibition
Evan Daley over Brylee Shumaker Fall 4:12
The match started with Daley coming right at Shumaker, scoring a takedown in the first 10 seconds to take an early lead. He added another just moments later, but in both instances Shumaker escaped and kept the match close. The big moment came 1:12 into the second period when Daley took Shumaker down and rolled him for the pinfall victory.
165
Evan Delong over Taylor Cahill Dec. 8-2
The two competitors were very evenly match early on, with Delong finally breaking through for a single-leg takedown about halfway into the first period. Cahill got away with 20 seconds remaining in the period to cut it to 2-1. Delong began in the down position to start the second period but promptly reversed Cahill to take a 4-1 advantage. He proceeded to ride Cahill out through the end of the period. Cahill cut it to 4-2 with an escape in the third period, but Delong added one final takedown to seal the win and the starting spot.
157/165 Exhibition
Jack Peura over Mac Tanner Dec. 9-4
Peura struck first, spinning out of a takedown attempt by Tanner and bringing him down himself for two points, but Tanner promptly escaped to make it 2-1. The score became 5-1 after Peura corralled Tanner for another late takedown, and Peura made it 7-2 with another takedown in the waning seconds of the middle period. Things played out much the same way in the third period as Peura claimed the win.
