CLARION TO MEET E. STROUDSBURG IN PSAC PLAYOFFS

            Clarion University will play East Stroudsburg at 10 a.m. Friday (Nov. 12) at Lock Haven in the opening round of PSAC Playoffs.

The Golden Eagles (29-6 overall, 6-4 PSAC-West), who are making their first outright PSAC Playoff appearance since 1990, are the No. 2 seed from the PSAC-West, while East Stroudsburg (16-16, 6-4 PSAC-West) is the No. 3 seed from the PSAC-East.

Clarion beat East Stroudsburg 3-0 (30-24, 30-21, 30-10) Oct. 9 in a PSAC Crossover match at Millersville.  

“I think it is a great honor for the team and for the school to make an appearance in the conference playoffs,” Clarion’s fourth-year head coach Tracey Fluharty said. “It is great to go when we had no idea what to expect from the team at the beginning of the year. I know the team has worked very hard to get where it is right now. They definitely deserve a shot at the PSAC Tournament.”

Fluharty said the Golden Eagles are going to continue to do what they have done all season: take things one match at a time.

“Right now our entire focus is on East Stroudsburg,” Fluharty said. “They have a solid team, and they are coming off an emotional win to qualify for the PSAC Playoffs. At this time of year, anyone is capable of beating anyone, and we are going to have to bring our top game if we want to win and advance.

“Overall, our main goal this week is to have a solid week of practice and put all the pieces together before we go to Lock Haven.”

 Seniors Colleen Sherk and Sara Heyl will be the main focus of Clarion’s offensive attack with junior Ashley Kreiner setting up the offense.

Heyl, an outside hitter, leads Clarion with 501 kills, the fourth most in a season in school history, while adding 465 digs, the ninth most in a single season at Clarion, 34 service aces and 63 blocks.

Sherk, a middle hitter, has 488 kills, the fifth most in a season at Clarion, while leading the team with a .397 hitting percentage. She is second on the team with 100 blocks.

Kreiner recently became the school’s single-season set assist king with 1,590 on the season. She is adding 126 kills, 275 digs and 77 blocks.

On defense, Clarion will turn to freshman Libero Vicky Gentile, who became Clarion’s single-season digs leader with 669 this season, and junior middle hitter Karen Stoklosa, whose 186 blocks are the fifth most in a season in school history. Stoklosa is adding 226 kills and 90 digs this year. Helping Gentile and Stoklosa are sophomore Jenn Sacco (354 digs) and junior Heather Byrne (342 digs).

Additional key players for the Golden Eagles include senior outside hitter Tonya Zatko (156 kills) and freshmen outside hitters Christian Steiner (153 kills), Sarah Fries (150 kills) and Amanda Angermeier (35 kills).

East Stroudsburg is paced by Nikki LeBlac (347 kills, 37 service aces, 301 digs, 64 blocks), Jen Mills (304 kills, 36 service aces, 235 digs, 53 blocks), Lauren Hoopes (256 kills, 114 digs, 43 blocks), Dawn Peipher (224 kills, 26 service aces, 592 digs), Jess Meany (620 set assists, 370 digs) and Liz Johnson (459 set assists, 110 digs).

GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES: If Clarion beats East Stroudsburg it will play Shippensburg (19-14 overall, 8-2 PSAC-East), the No. 1 seed from the PSAC-East, in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday at Lock Haven … The PSAC Championship Match will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday at Lock Haven … Additional teams in the PSAC Playoffs include Lock Haven (23-3, 8-2 PSAC-West), IUP (25-9, 6-4 PSAC-West) and Millersville (16-15, 6-4 PSAC-East) … IUP plays Millersville in the other first-round match at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Lock Haven with the winner playing Lock Haven at 7 p.m. Friday in the semifinals … Clarion last won the PSAC Title in 1988 … The Golden Eagles lost a PSAC Playoff play-in game to Lock Haven in 1997, the last time Clarion played in PSAC competition beyond the regular season … The Golden Eagles are ranked third in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Region poll released last week and have a shot at their third consecutive NCAA Division II playoff appearance … Fluharty is 109-37 (74.7 percent) in her four years at Clarion including 86-21 (80.4 percent) in the last three years … Clarion’s 29 wins this season are the second most in school history behind the 31 (31-5) Clarion had in 2002.