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Clarkson University Athletics

Clarkson Volleyball 2019 Season Review

By: August 27, 2020
LL2019Champs

Women's Volleyball | 8/27/2020 9:56:00 AM

With the 2020 Fall Season taking a different shape compared to anything in the Clarkson University Athletic Department's history, now is the time to look back at the recent history of our programs and to celebrate recent excellence, specifically the memorable moments of the 2019 season. 

When freshman Emma Baxter dove to her left to keep a strong attack from Alison Lipton from hitting the floor on the last point of the NCAA Potsdam Regional Final, it summed up the Clarkson University Volleyball team's season. All year long, the Golden Knights' back row frustrated opposing offenses with ridiculous digs, and no team suffered more from that stellar play than league rival Ithaca College.

Baxter's dig shot nearly straight up in the air and Isabelle Crow bumped a set to the outside near the 10-foot line, finding classmate Kristin Werdine. The freshman outside hitter then hit a medium paced shot off the fingertips of a double block, and the altered trajectory sent the Ithaca defense scrambling, but nevertheless coming up short.

November 17, 2019 - Knights Win Five-Set Thriller Over Ithaca In Potsdam Regional Final

November 17, 2019 - Clarkson Volleyball Press Conference

With that point, for the second time in eight days, the Golden Knights outlasted Ithaca in five sets, and each time the fifth game required extra points. Nearly four and a half hours (4:25:15) were needed for the 10 sets and Ithaca actually outscored Clarkson in those matches by a single point (227-226), but each time the Knights had enough on offense to eke out a win. In the NCAA Potsdam Regional Final, it was Kristin Werdine who recorded back-to-back kills to give the Knights a 16-14 win in set five, and in the Liberty League Championship match only eight days earlier, Rachel Reusch split the Bombers' back row to win the conference title with a 20-18 victory in the fifth game.

The two wins each did their part, as did the four-set win over Ithaca in late-October, in sending Clarkson to its fifth NCAA Regional title and trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals or "Elite 8." The win in the regular season over Ithaca helped Clarkson earn home court advantage for the conference tournament. The victory in the Liberty League Championship match assured Clarkson of the top seed and hosting rights for the NCAA Regionals, and playing on familiar ground with a healthy throng of fans cheering on every Clarkson point certainly gave the Green and Gold a push to the Elite 8.

In the NCAA Quarterfinals, the Golden Knights were far from star struck in facing top-ranked Emory University, giving the defending national champions all they could handle in five sets. In the previous four trips to the Elite 8, the Knights had won just one set in 13 games.

While the three freshmen may have combined on the point to propel Clarkson to the NCAA Quarterfinals, it was the Golden Knights' senior class that carried the team in 2019. Libero Kate Isaksen was picked as an AVCA All-American for the third time in her career, gaining AVCA Second-Team status, while middle hitter Rachel Reusch earned Liberty League Player of the Year honors and was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American for the second time in as many years. Classmates Maddie Bredehoeft and Delaney Harrison each had their moments in the post-season, too, with the former striking for 18 kills in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and the latter delivering 12 kills in the Liberty League Championship match.


 



 
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Players Mentioned

Maddie Bredehoeft

#5 Maddie Bredehoeft

OH
5' 9"
Junior
Delaney Harrison

#15 Delaney Harrison

RS
6' 1"
Junior
Kate Isaksen

#17 Kate Isaksen

L
5' 9"
Junior
Rachel Reusch

#12 Rachel Reusch

MH
6' 2"
Junior
Emma Baxter

#2 Emma Baxter

L/DS
5' 5"
Freshman
Isabelle Crow

#11 Isabelle Crow

S
5' 8"
Freshman
Kristin Werdine

#16 Kristin Werdine

OH
5' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Maddie Bredehoeft

#5 Maddie Bredehoeft

5' 9"
Junior
OH
Delaney Harrison

#15 Delaney Harrison

6' 1"
Junior
RS
Kate Isaksen

#17 Kate Isaksen

5' 9"
Junior
L
Rachel Reusch

#12 Rachel Reusch

6' 2"
Junior
MH
Emma Baxter

#2 Emma Baxter

5' 5"
Freshman
L/DS
Isabelle Crow

#11 Isabelle Crow

5' 8"
Freshman
S
Kristin Werdine

#16 Kristin Werdine

5' 8"
Freshman
OH