Potsdam, NY – For the second straight year, the Clarkson University Volleyball team claimed the North Country Invitational title with a perfect 4-0 record as sophomore Sara Artus (St. Regis Falls, NY) picked up Most Valuable Player honors, the second straight time that a Golden Knights claimed the honor.
The Knights improved to 7-1 overall with wins over St. Lawrence (25-22, 25-22, 27-25) and Buffalo State (29-27, 25-18, 25-20). The loss was the St. Lawrence’s first of the season.
In the opening match of the winners’ bracket, the Golden Knights started off hot and then withstood a rally from the Saints in both the of the first two sets, claiming each by three points. Within a set of a sweep of their Liberty League rivals, the Knights came out flat against the Saints in the third set, falling behind by as many as seven points. However, Clarkson slowly chipped away and came all the way back to tie the score 23-23 when junior Jessica Agnew (Queensbury, NY) delivered an ace. The teams traded points after that, sending the set into extra time, where a kill from Rachel Simons (Webster, NY) closed out the match.
"The St. Lawrence matchup is always a special one for us, and even though we weren't in system as much as we'd like to be, I thought we did a great job with our intensity and our defense kept us in a lot of long rallies," head coach Johan Dulfer Said. "Our four defensive specialists have really taken their game to another level this year and it's giving us a lot of confidence in the front row, knowing we will get opportunities to score if we trust each other."
Artus and sophomore Megan Mahon (Irvine, CA) each produced solid performances as outside hitters. Artus had 14 kills and just three errors in 31 swings, while Mahon had 12 kills and four errors in 30 swings to go along with service aces. Senior MacKenzie Cook (Syracuse, NY), the MVP of the North Country Invitational 2008, also added six kills and four blocks, including three of the solo variety. Senior Jenna Stock (Johnstown, NY) contributed 33 assists.
Defensively, the Knights had a well-rounded effort, led by junior Alison Schroeder (Webster, NY) with 20 digs. Stock added 14 digs and Davanna Chetney (Fulton, NY) had 11 digs.
In what turned out to be the championship match for the Golden Knights, Clarkson outlasted the Bengals in the first set, 29-27, before having a slightly easier time in the final two sets to take the championship. A well-rounded attack served the Knights well as Artus led with 8 kills, but was followed up closely by Cook (7 kills), Simons (6 kills), and Mahon (6 kills). Mahon also contributed three more aces and Simons had 5 blocks in the offensive attack. Schroeder led the team with 16 digs, while Agnew also reached double figures with 13 digs.
"To play for a championship is a special feeling and once again we had to play very hard against Buffalo State, a team that just keeps coming after you," coach Dulfer said. "They keep bringing heat, and we struggled early on trying to find an answer against their outside hitters, but once we settled in and our defense took over, I thought we did a great job finishing that match. We never panicked and stayed in control. That is a great sign of growth and it will hopefully serve us well in our quest for that other championship."
Along with Artus's selection as MVP, Jenna Stock, too, was named to the NCI All-Tournament team.