CLARION VOLLEYBALL FINISHES SOLID SEASON

EAGLES GET 20 WINS FOR 6^TH STRAIGHT YEAR; QUALIFIES FOR NCAA’S

            The Clarion University women’s volleyball recently concluded another solid season that saw the Golden Eagles win 20 games for the sixth consecutive season while qualifying for the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years.

            The Golden Eagles finished the year 20-12 overall and 3-7 in PSAC-West, a conference that saw five of its six teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

            “We had a very nice year,” Clarion’s interim head coach Jodi Pezek Burns said. “I’m very happy for our players that we qualified for the NCAA Tournament. With everything they went through this year, it was a great reward for them.”

            Clarion’s season started out with Burns taking over in August for head coach Tracey Fluharty, who left over the summer.

            It took the Golden Eagles and Burns, a star player (1987-90) and former Eagle mentor (1995-98), a while to get use to each other but when they did things started to click.

            After starting the year 10-8, Clarion won 10 of its final 13 matches including victories over NCAA Tournament bound California and IUP and was rewarded with the at-large NCAA Tournament bid.

            “We played some of our best volleyball of the season down the stretch,” Burns said. “I think it took us a little longer to come together as a team because I didn’t become coach until right before preseason practice started. It took me a while to learn the player’s strengths and to find the right mix. It also took the players a little bit of time to adjust to my coaching style. I think if we had been together a little longer, things would have some together quicker.”

            Helping Clarion come together was the play and leadership of its two seniors Lindsay Banner and Jenn Sacco.

            Banner (Clarion), a middle hitter, was fourth on the team in kills (279) and second in blocks (75) while hitting .287 for the year. She finished her career with 517 kills and 169 blocks.

            Sacco (Cochranton), a defensive specialist, was fifth on the team with 214 digs and fourth in digs per game (2.33). She also added 20 service aces. She finished her career ranked 12^th in school history in digs with 999 while adding 63 service aces.

            Banner was part of a Clarion offense that ranked fifth in the PSAC with 13.68 kills per game.

            That offense was set up by first-year setter Kristi Fiorillo (Meadville), a junior. Fiorillo finished second in the PSAC in assists per game (11.46), while her 1,284 assists were the eighth most at Clarion in a season, and her 1,431 career assists ranks seventh all-time at Clarion. She also added 50 kills, 29 service aces and 237 digs.

            The three players who Fiorillo set up the most were junior outside hitters Christina Steiner (Florence, KY/Ryle) and Sarah Fries (Williard, Ohio) and freshmen middle hitter Lauren Carter (Altoona/Bellwood-Antis).

            Steiner was a second-team PSAC-West selection this season after leading the Golden Eagles with 375 kills while adding 420 digs, 40 blocks and 32 service aces. She ranked 10^th in the PSAC in kills (3.29 per game) and was just outside the Top 10 in digs with 3.68 per contest. In three years, Steiner has 858 career kills, 711 career digs and 109 career blocks.

            Fries, meanwhile, was second on the team in kills with 315 (2.79 kpg) and added 260 digs (2.30 dpg), 36 blocks and 31 service aces. She has 819 career kills, 352 career digs and 115 career blocks.

            Carter led all PSAC freshmen in hitting percentage (.345) and blocks (1.12 bpg) while ranking fourth and sixth respectively in the PSAC in each category. She finished the season with 289 kills (2.58 kpg) and a team-high 45 service aces awhile adding 63 digs.

            Another key offensive player for the Golden Eagles was red-shirt sophomore outside hitter Amanda Angermeier (Somerset). Angermeier had 187 kills (1.85 kpg) while adding 76 digs and 36 blocks.

            Defensively, Clarion ranked fifth in the PSAC in digs with 17.21 per game.

            Junior Vicky Gentile(Euclid, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph, one of the best defensive players in school history, led the way with 577, tied for the third most in school history (she holds three of the top five marks including the school record 711 in 2004). Her 5.06 digs per game were the third most in the PSAC this season, and her 1,855 career digs are the second most ever at Clarion. She needs 145 to tie Melanie Bull’s school record of 2,000.

            Additional contributors this season for Clarion were Dani Hughes (So., Clarion; 132 assists, 38 digs, 16 service aces), Alison Bolinger (Fr., Clarion; 34 digs, 7 service aces), Amanda Stefanov (Fr., Uniontown, Ohio/Lake; 31 kills, 24 digs), Lauren Wiefling (Jr., Butler/Knoch; 26 kills, 8 blocks); Joy Carey (Fr., Lancaster/Manheim Twp.; 7 service aces, 4 digs), Lindsay Wiefling (R-So., Butler/Knoch; 15 kills), Katie Aurand (Whitmore Lake, Mich./Ladywood; 8 service aces), Haley White (Morrisdale/West Branch; 8 kills, 6 service aces), Heather Swedish (Sewickley/Avonworth; 7 service aces).