EAST STROUDSBURG – Despite a strong second set win, the East Stroudsburg University volleyball team could not advance to its second consecutive PSAC Championship match, falling 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21) to Clarion on Friday night at Koehler Fieldhouse.
ESU falls to 18-10, snapping a 10-match winning streak that began on Oct. 16 against Millersville, while the Golden Eagles (21-9) advance to the PSAC Championship with the win. Clarion and Gannon will meet at Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
The Warriors will find out if it has been selected to the NCAA Tournament on Monday at 7:30 p.m. during the NCAA Division II Selection Show on NCAA.com.
Notables
- Sydney Stone led the Warriors with nine kills, also supplying 12 digs.
- Kenzie Guimont added seven kills, hitting .238. The Temecula, Calif. native registered a team-best three aces, while totaling three blocks.
- Jasmine Mooney and Kaitlin Bruchauser each added six kills. Bruchauser led ESU by hitting .500, with just one error on 10 attempts.
- PSAC East Athlete of the Year Ali Finch distributed 29 assists, while posting eight digs.
- Emily Meredith led the squad with 22 digs on the evening.
- Jessica Irwin was honored as the PSAC Champion Scholar prior to the match, sporting the the highest grade point average at the championship site. An exercise science major, Irwin holds a 4.0 GPA. She is the first ESU volleyball student-athlete to receive the honor.
How it Happened
- Neither team could gain a significant lead early on, trading points. Clarion would hold a slim lead the majority of the opening frame. With the Golden Eagles holding a 20-17 lead, Clarion would hold off a potential Warrior comeback by earning five of the final seven points to earn the opening set, 25-19.
- The Golden Eagles kept momentum, building an early 10-5 advantage. As they have done all season, ESU fought back, going an impressive 8-0 run to grab an 14-10 edge on the scoreboard. After a pair of CU kills, ESU would take five of the next seven points to build a 19-13 lead. Clarion would get as close as two points at 24-22, but Kaylee LoPresto would smash a set from Finch to take the second set, 25-22.
- With ESU holding a slim 7-6 lead in the third set, the Warriors earned five consecutive points on three kills from Guimont and a pair of Golden Eagle attack errors. Clarion seized momentum by earning five of the next six points, before the Warriors would string together three consecutive points to take a 16-12 lead. Down four, Clarion would earn nine of the next 10 to retake a 21-17 lead. ESU would trim the deficit to 21-19, but the Eagles would take a 2-1 set advantage by earning four of the final five points, with a set score of 25-20.
- With the fourth set tied at 4-4, the Golden Eagles would take control of the match with a 7-0 spree, holding an 11-4 lead. ESU would cut into the deficit with a 3-0 run at 15-10, but Clarion countered with a 3-0 sprint of their own. With Clarion just two points away from clinching a berth in the PSAC Championship, ESU would battle back by scoring seven of the next eight points, but the Golden Eagles would hold off the comeback with a kill on match point to earn the fourth set 25-21.
Up Next
- The Warriors await its NCAA Tournament fate. ESU will find out if its has earned an at-large bid on Monday at 7:30 p.m. during the NCAA Division II Volleyball Selection Show on NCAA.com. In the latest NCAA Atlantic Region rankings, ESU was ranked seventh, with the top eight teams from each region earning a berth. ESU looks to be selected to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history (2000, 2019).
- Gannon and Clarion will meet for the PSAC Championship and the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. inside Koehler Fieldhouse.
