ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst volleyball team dropped their fourth consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference contest falling on Senior Day by a final of 3-0 to the visiting Golden Eagles of Clarion University on Saturday afternoon inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.  

Clarion started out strong as Holly Pttman, Julia Holden, and Lauren Aichinger recorded points to move them in front 6-3.  Mercyhurst rallied back using a 6-2 push on scores by Katie Baird, Alyssa Zirnheld, and Madison Kasper to jump ahead 9-8.  Clarion outscored the Lakers 6-5 over the following eleven points with home scores by Addy Benjamin and Zirnheld to draw within 14-13.  An assisted block between Aubrey Wrona and Pittman pushed the edge to three 19-16.  A block by Kasper and Benjamin, followed by a Zirnheld kill cut it to 20-19.  However, the hosts would never get over the hump as a Holden block finished off the 25-23 win.

Mercyhurst began the second fast with Kasper, Baird, and Kern contributing to a 6-1 lead.  The Golden Eagles came back with a vengence as Aichinger and Holden put together a 7-1 charge to grab an 8-7 edge.  A Holden service error made it 8-8, but Lydia Leiner scored two straight kills to help the visitors go ahead 13-9.  Zirnheld helped the Lakers to hang in there as her kill cut it to 13-12, however, Wrona and Holden concocted a 6-2 stretch open the lead to four 19-14.  The two teams split the next eight points allowing the guests to hold onto the five-point cushion 23-18, during that time Tess Ganich and Zirnheld provided the offense.  A kill by Leiner capped off the frame 25-19.  

The script flipped to begin the third with the Golden Eagles getting kills from Pittman, Wrona, and Holden to lead 6-2.  Baird accounted for two kills during a 5-1 run to draw even 7-7.  Clarion opened up a 13-9 advantage with Wrona, Pittman, and Alexa Cundy put away kills for the guests.  Six of the ensuing nine went the way of Mercyhurst with aces by Zirnheld and Baird, along with kills for Kasper and Baird brought the score to 16-15.  Kills from Leiner, Pittman, and Wrona aided a 6-1 Golden Eagles run to move their lead to 22-16.  However, two quick Laker scores on an error and Zirnheld kill made it 22-18, but Holden put away the final kill of the match four points later 25-19.  

Seniors Zirnheld and Baird accounted for 16 kills, 11 digs, two aces and a block.  Kasper added five kills to go along with four from Ganich and five between Benjamin and Kern.  Hannah Vuylsteke led with 14 digs, while Claire Kenny added 10.  Kenny also gave out 17 assists.  

Clarion got double-digit kills from both Holden (16) and Pittman (10).  Chrissy Cotton added 24 digs and Cundy chipped in a match-high 40 helpers.

The Lakers will look to snap the skid when they face the Fighting Scots of Edinboro University at 7pm on Tuesday, October 29th inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.