Saratoga Springs, NY - Eyeing two match ups against Liberty League foes, the Clarkson University Volleyball team did what it needed to hold on to its lofty ranking in the region as the Golden Knights claimed the Skidmore Classic title on Saturday with a sweep of Union College and a win in a four-set battle against host Skidmore.
The Golden Knights, ranked second in the New York Region, improved to 24-5 overall, the best start in school history. They are also a perfect 6-0 against conference competitors. The Green and Gold will visit crosstown rival Potsdam State on Tuesday evening at Maxcy Hall.
In the first match on Saturday against Union, which the Knights won in three straight, 25-17, 25-19, 25-23, Clarkson didn't get the greatest hitting performance, but it proved to be enough in the sweep. Sara Artus (St. Regis Falls, NY) had 10 kills, but with seven errors, while Megan Mahon (Irvine, CA) had nine kills in 22 swings. Jenna Stock (Johnstown, NY), picked as the tournament's MVP, had 24 assists, 8 digs, and 4 kills. Junior Alison Schroeder (Webster, NY) added 10 digs.
The second match proved to be a close one, as the two teams were neck and neck in each set, with Clarkson coming out on top 25-23, 24-26, 25-22, 28-26. Artus, who was also picked for the all-tournament team, was dominant with 25 kills and 12 digs, and Stock had 45 assists. Schroeder added 20 digs and Megan Mahon had 12 kills.
"These two matches were a great preview of how strong our league is this year and how competitive our league tournament is going to be," said head coach Johan Dulfer. "On any given night, anything can happen. Union and Skidmore are both very proud and well coached teams that played us very tough. I thought the difference in the match with Union was that we won the serve pass battle and played the big points a little better. Skidmore played a very good match and their libero was simply outstanding. I thought our hitters did a great job being patient. We went back and forth between our options to find out what worked and it turned into something of a chess game. It was great to see us find the composure to close out the match with some outstanding blocking and swinging at the end."
