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Knights claim Scranton Invitational Championship with 4-0 showing in volleyball

Posted 9/11/11

Potsdam, NY - With two more three-straight set victories, the Clarkson University Volleyball team is out to a 9-0 start after finishing off Marywood and Centenary Saturday afternoon at the Scranton …

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Knights claim Scranton Invitational Championship with 4-0 showing in volleyball

Posted

Potsdam, NY - With two more three-straight set victories, the Clarkson University Volleyball team is out to a 9-0 start after finishing off Marywood and Centenary Saturday afternoon at the Scranton Invitational.

The Golden Knights are off until the New Paltz Invitational next weekend, the same tournament where they were given their first loss of the season in 2010.

"It feels great to win this tournament, but this weekend wasn’t all about that, ironically," head coach Johan Dulfer said. "This was about learning how to become a team, and taking the next step together towards getting ready for our conference schedule. I thought we played a little uninspired to start the Marywood match, but we picked it up and carried a lot of momentum into the Centenary match. Our blocking and defense took another step today and we’re slowly gaining confidence. I really like how this group keeps raising the bar for themselves."

The slow start against Marywood was short-lived, as Clarkson won in three straight 25-18, 25-17, 25-17. Sophomore Lani Durio (Austin, TX) had 23 assists, but more importantly she led a strong serving attack with five aces. Bailey Walker (Centennial, CO) and Sara Artus (St. Regis Falls, NY) each had seven kills in a balanced attack, while Rachel Simons (Webster, NY) scored four blocks. Freshman Becca Brabec (Lemont, IL) and Erika Chin (Katy, TX) contributed 11 and 10 digs, respectively.

Against Centenary, Clarkson flew through the match with 25-13, 25-18, 25-13 victories. Senior Nicole Edwards (Weiser, ID) was virtually unstoppable in her three sets, recording eight kills with only one error on 13 swings. She also added nine total blocks (three solo, six assists). Durio tossed in 27 assists and Artus had seven kills and four service aces. As a team, Clarkson had 22 total blocks with six coming solo, and also hit .333 (35-9-78). Artus was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Durio was chosen to the All-Tournament Team. Additionally, Simons recorded her 273rd career block on Saturday, moving her into fourth all-time at Clarkson in that category.