Only three matches remain in the regular season conference schedule for the Clarkson University Volleyball team, and the Golden Knights are looking to cap off 2013's Liberty League slate with three more victories this weekend to finish the season unbeaten.
The Knights, receiving votes one spot outside of the AVCA Top 25 poll, are 24-6 overall this season and 9-0 in Liberty League conference games. Clarkson closed out St. Lawrence in three straight sets on Tuesday, and holds an overwhelming 27-1 edge in sets this year during conference matches.
Clarkson will take on Skidmore and RIT on Friday in Rochester, and will then play Union on Saturday afternoon. Clarkson will either clinch the regular season title with two wins on Friday, or with just a single win against Union on Saturday. Any loss during the weekend by Union would also give the Knights the regular season title.
The Knights beat Skidmore in three straight sets (25-14, 25-17, 25-13), marking their second straight win over the Thoroughbreds dating back to last year's Liberty League Championship match. Clarkson also beat RIT in three straight (25-12, 25-19, 25-11) and have won 12 straight sets against the Tigers, as well as eight straight matches. Versus Union earlier this year, Clarkson suffered its only set loss in conference play, but still beat the Dutchwomen handily (25-9, 25-14, 18-25, 25-12). The Knights have won four straight against Union, and seven of the last eight meetings.
The Green and Gold have dominated the Liberty League thus far, and are ranked at the top of the leaderboards in five of seven categories, including hitting percentage (.315), opponents' hitting percentage (.024), assists (12.68), kills (13.61), and service aces (3.61), all by substantial margins. Not surprisingly, Clarkson has the top three hitters in the league according to percentage, with middles Xiao Liang (Tianjin, China) and Adrienne Walker (Centennial, CO) combining to record a kill on close to half of their swings (.439 and .436, respectively). Senior setter Lani Durio (Austin, TX) leads the conference in assists during league matches by a large margin, producing just under 11 assists per set. Sophomore Victoria Kirkemo (Englewood, CO) tops Clarkson's strong serving game with 0.81 aces per set. An aggressive serving team overall, the most impressive aspect of Kirkemo's serving this season is that she has just 14 service errors while producing 55 aces.
