CLARION RANKED FOURTH IN ATLANTIC REGION

            The Clarion University women’s volleyball team is ranked fourth in the Atlantic Region in the NCAA Division II Regional Polls released Oct. 20.

            The Golden Eagles (25-6 overall, 4-3 PSAC-West) are ranked behind fellow PSAC-West foes California, Lock Haven and IUP, although the rankings are through games Oct. 16 and don’t include Clarion’s 3-0 win over California Tuesday.

            The Regional rankings are used to help determine the field for the NCAA Division II playoffs. The playoffs, which are divided into Regions, will have eight teams from the Atlantic Region including the champions of the PSAC, CIAA and CVAC and the top three ranked teams that aren’t those champions.

            Clarion, which plays at Seton Hill Thursday night, has won five in a row and 18 of its last 19 since starting the year 7-5.

The Golden Eagles under fourth-year head coach Tracey Fluharty are led by seniors Colleen Sherk (416 kills, 81 blocks), Sara Heyl (424 kills, 380 digs, 55 blocks) and Tonya Zatko (129 kills), juniors Ashley Kreiner (1,365 set assists, 238 digs, 103 kills) and Karen Stoklosa (195 kills, 153 blocks), sophomore Jenn Sacco (287 digs) and freshmen Christina Steiner (151 kills), Sarah Fries (128 kills) and Vicky Gentile (565 digs).

NOTES – Clarion returns home Tuesday for a key 7 p.m. match with IUP … The Golden Eagles have qualified for the NCAA D-II Playoffs in each of the last two seasons, the first time in school history Clarion has gone to the NCAA D-II playoffs … Fluharty has an incredible four-year mark at Clarion of 105-37 (73.9 percent) including an 82-21 (79. 6 percent) mark in the last three seasons. Clarion is also 16-11 in the always tough PSAC-West over the last three seasons.

OCT. 20 ATLANTIC REGION RANKINGS

(Records are through games Oct. 16)