Potsdam, NY – Points came fast and furious at the start before settling in for some longer rallies late but the Clarkson University Volleyball team couldn't quite keep the pace offensively against Middlebury College in a 3-2 loss (25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 25-11, 15-11) on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.
It was the first loss of the year for the Knights (3-1) as neither team had suffered a defeat even in a single set up to this match. Clarkson is on the road next weekend for four matches at University of Rochester.
The opening set saw both teams hit at a high level, including a .406 clip for Middlebury in which they had a kill virtually on every other swing. Points went rapidly in that set, though Clarkson had an early 12-8 advantage. Middlebury went on a 9-1 run late in the set, utilizing five kills but also capitalizing on four Clarkson attack errors, three of which were unforced.
Points were quick in set two as well, though this time Clarkson had the better of the offense, recording 15 kills and a .324 hitting percentage as a team. The Knights built an early 11-5 lead and extended the margin to seven at 15-8. The Panthers rallied to get back within one on a 4-0 run which was bookended by kills from Molly Harrison, making it 17-16. Clarkson responded with a 3-0 run of its own and held a comfortable advantage the rest of the way.
By the third set, the rallies began to last considerably longer as there were a combined 101 attacks in the game after seeing only 128 in the first two sets combined. Middlebury jumped out to a 14-7 lead and seemed poised to go up 2-1, but the Knights got back into the contest, eventually tying the set at 18-18 on a combined block from Aven Gray and Ainslie Reimer. The Panthers retook the lead briefly, but Clarkson scored five straight points and held on for the win.
The fourth set was all Middlebury, with the Panthers hitting .520 and the Knights going even at .000. The fifth set looked like the momentum would stick with the visitors when Middlebury built a 7-2 lead and forced Clarkson to take both of its timeouts in that stretch. The Knights wouldn't go away, however, climbing back to within one following back-to-back kills from Chase Chudoba. That was the final gasp for the Knights with Middlebury closing out the set and match on two kills and an error.
The stat sheet was filled thanks to five sets, as Olivia Baxter posted 20 digs and Emma Cortez added 10 more. Cecilia Velardi recorded six aces and eight digs as well. Conley Burns hit .255 with 20 kills and Ainslie Reimer recorded 16 kills at a .244 clip. Brianna Hale had 42 assists, and Chase Chudoba posted seven kills and six blocks, one solo and five assists.
For Middlebury, Molly Harrison had a massive match thanks to 18 kills and 19 digs with a .262 hitting percentage. Natalie Stanford added in 14 kills and Annabella Rando led the defense with 28 digs. Chloe Cunniffe and Campbell Bartley split setting duties, each producing 23 assists.
