Potsdam, NY - Rachael Aird always seemed to be in a position to score when the Clarkson University Volleyball team needed her on Saturday, and the sophomore middle hitter came through with 10 kills, six aces and five blocks as the Golden Knights claimed a four-set win against Ithaca College in the Potsdam, NY Regional semifinals of the NCAA Division III Volleyball tournament.

The Golden Knights improved to 29-8 overall this year, while Ithaca fell to 31-5. Clarkson advances to play Springfield College in the Potsdam, NY Regional Final at 2:00 pm on Sunday.

For the first time all weekend, a match wasn't limited to three sets as Ithaca College put the New York Region on notice with a strong effort against the top seed Clarkson University, but the Golden Knights were able to eek out a four-set win (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20) against Ithaca.

"It has been fantastic to be back at home for the New York Regionals this year because our home crowd has been instrumental in getting us through some tough spots," Clarkson head coach Johan Dulfer said. "Our stands have been filled and incredibly supportive and when we get a kill they help us build our momentum that much more. Ithaca was a great team, and Springfield will provide another tough test for us tomorrow, so I look forward to another great match with another great crowd on Sunday."

Clarkson came out strong in the first set and appeared ready to blow Ithaca right out of the gym with a 14-4 lead, but the Bombers chipped away and rallied all the way back to tie the score at 21-21. The score was once again tied up at 22-22, but Ithaca got a pair of kills from Amanda Cerruti and closed out the set with a kill from Joelle Goldstein to complete the improbably comeback. The second set was the complete opposite as it was Ithaca that found itself up by six points late (21-15), but the Golden Knights likewise didn't panic thanks to kills from Lauren Hutchinson that allowed the set to get tied up at 23-23. An ace by Tara Stilwell and a kill from Rachael Aird finished off the set for Clarkson.

The third set of the match was all about offense as the two teams went back and forth, trading kills on quick attacks. Neither team gained much of a foothold until Clarkson turned a 16-16 tie into a four-point lead (20-16). Up by five after an ace from Kirstie Shurie (23-18), Ithaca scored four of the next five points to tighten thins up but a kill from Hutchinson was the closer, giving the Knights a 2-1 advantage. The fourth set was a game of runs as Rachael Aird had a strong stretch from the servince line with four straight aces, but the Bombers counteracted that run with a 9-2 momentum shift to take a 17-13 lead. That was quickly altered as well as Clarkson scored five straight points to reclaim the lead at 18-17. Although the two teams exchanged points for a while, Clarkson scored the final five, highlighted by a pair of kills from Aishvina Arasu that changed the structure of the match. The Knights closed things out as Aird added a sixth ace to her performance.

Aird had 10 kills, six aces and five total blocks, including two solo efforts, while Hutchinson hit .360 (11-2-25) and Arasu had a team-best 17 kills. Kirstie Shurie was a dynamic player on offense and defense with 45 assists and 12 digs, while Tara Stilwell led the way with 13 digs. For Ithaca, Joelle Goldstein had a double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs, taking 51 swings over the course of the match. Amanda Cerruti tossed in seven kills and six block assists and Katie Evans also had six total blocks. Kayla Gromen produced 37 assists and 10 digs while Dylan Gawinski-Stern had 14 digs.