Potsdam, NY - Sophomore Rachael Aird and senior Lauren Hutchinson were virtually unstoppable for the Clarkson University Volleyball team on Friday night with a combined 19 kills and only one error in 26 swings as the Golden Knights swept RIT in three sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-15) in the Liberty League Semifinals at Alumni Gymnasium.

With the win the Golden Knights improved to 26-8 overall and advanced to their fifth straight Liberty League Championship match. The last time the Golden Knights did not claim the conference championship was 2011 when they lost in five sets to Skidmore. RIT saw its season end at 21-19. In the second semifinal match, Union also swept St. Lawrence in three sets (25-16, 25-18, 25-12). The Dutchwomen improved to 29-5 overall while the Saints dropped to 17-18.

In the first set, Clarkson had trouble getting on track and found itself down by two (10-8) in the early going, but coming out of a timeout the Golden Knights scored six of the next seven points and never looked back. The second set was lopsided at the start as Clarkson cruised out to a 15-6 lead, but the Tigers wouldn't go away and scored five of the next six points making the Knights regroup. The Knights wouldn't allow RIT to get within five points the remainder of the set and closed out with a 25-19 win.

Though the third set turned out to be the most lopsided in the end, the early scoring saw the two teams playing virtually even with neither gaining much of an advantage. Clarkson led for the majority of the time, but RIT had a brief lead (9-8) and allowed Clarkson to only push out by as many as three points by the midway point. However, the final half of that third set was all Clarkson, as the Knights turned a 15-14 lead into a blowout by recording 10 of the final 11 points.

"Playoffs are special," Clarkson head coach Johan Dulfer said. "It's hard to play a good opponent three times in a year and I thought RIT was well prepared and played us tough. In the end we were in system a bit more than they were and that was the difference. Advancing to play for a championship and NCAA bid is something that never gets old. We look forward to battling another good team tomorrow."

Rachael Aird struck for 11 kills with a .588 hitting percentage (11-1-17) and Aishvina Arasu delivered 10 kills. Lauren Hutchinson made the most of her nine attempts with eight kills for a ridiculous .889 hitting percentage and Victoria Kirkemo contributed eight kills and nine digs. Kirstie Shurie led the offense with 35 assists and Tara Stilwell had a team-high 10 digs. For the Tigers Sarah Szybist had a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs and Taylor Harkness tossed in six kills. Erin Parkinson ran the offense to the tune of 25 assists.

In the second match of the day, Union simply had too much for St. Lawrence to overcome as the Dutchwomen advanced to their second conference finals in three seasons, sweeping the Saints 25-16, 25-18, 25-12. Union kept the Saints out of sort with its effort from the service line, recording nine aces and keeping St. Lawrence off-balance and unable to get consistent approaches. Cristina Deschaine was a highlight for the Saints, recording kills on solid sets in the middle, but the Dutchwomen had their way on both the outside and in the middle. Lauren Woods recorded eight kills with just one error in 13 swings and also recorded five aces, while Rachel Wyman produced nine kills and also had three block assists. Amanda Price found several offensive targets with 26 assists. Deschaine had eight kills and just one miscue in 12 attempts for the Saints while Mariah Dignan had 13 digs in an effort to keep the Saints alive from the back row.