DURIO - CLARKSON ATHLETIC HALL of FAME

When Lani Durio arrived on campus in the fall of 2010, the Clarkson University Volleyball team was already beginning its rise to prominence, having participated in its first NCAA Tournament the previous season. But with Durio running the team’s offense as the starting setter from day one, the Golden Knights developed from regional power to a national one by the time she was finished four seasons later.   

Selected as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year in 2010, Durio took over an offense with two excellent outside hitters in Sara Artus and Megan Mahon, helping the Golden Knights post a .243 hitting percentage as a team, a figure which ranked 27th in NCAA Division III that year. Clarkson returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011, advancing to the second round each year. It wasn’t until 2012 that Clarkson truly elevated to the national level when the team hosted its second NCAA New York Regional, claiming the regional title with a five-set thriller over SUNY New Paltz. However, the Golden Knights may have never been in a position to play in that spot in front of its home fans were it not for Durio’s effort at the 2012 Liberty League Championship. In the first round, the Knights outlasted Vassar College in five sets, led by Durio’s 50 assists and 10 digs. In the championship match against Skidmore College, Durio recorded a career-high 58 assists to take down the top seeded Thoroughbreds, en route to being named the Liberty League Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

The tail end of the 2012 season began a dominant run for the Golden Knights against regional opponents, starting a three-plus season run where Clarkson would rarely be challenged by teams in New York or in New England. In fact, with Durio managing the Knights’ many offensive threats, Clarkson went a perfect 14-0 against conference opponents, dropping only one of 43 sets against teams from the Liberty League in 2013. That year, Clarkson’s offense ranked eighth nationally in hitting percentage at .264 and Durio’s 1338 assists were the 12th most in NCAA Division III, as Clarkson reached its second straight NCAA Quarterfinal round in the Elite 8 after rolling through the NCAA New York Regional once again.

A two-time AVCA All-American Honorable Mention in 2011 and 2013, Durio’s most decorated season came when she was a senior, as she was named the Liberty League Player of the Year as well as the ECAC Metro/Upstate Player of the Year and an AVCA New York All-Region First-Team member. She finished her career with 4986 assists, 1400 more than any other setter in Clarkson’s history, and her 9.408 assists per set are the highest figure in the program’s history as well. Not only did she contribute to the team’s offense by finding her teammates, but she posted 220 aces, the fourth-highest figure in Clarkson’s 50-year history of volleyball. The Golden Knights won 79% of their matches with a record of 124-33 during her four seasons with four NCAA Tournament appearances and two NCAA Elite 8 appearances.