Potsdam, NY - Though there were some missteps along the way, the Clarkson University Volleyball team persevered in its Liberty League Championship match against Union College, coming from behind in each set to claim a 3-1 victory (25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24) over the Dutchwomen on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights, ranked 19th in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll, improved to 27-8 overall and extended their winning streak in conference matches to 44, dating back to the 2012 Liberty League Tournament. Clarkson won its fourth straight post-season conference title with the win and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. With six losses overall and just five against Division III teams, Union (29-6) will have to wait until the selection show on Monday morning to see if it will continue its season in the NCAA Regionals.

"First off, congrats to Union for a very memorable conference finals match," Clarkson head coach Johan Dulfer said. "I thought they played incredibly well and made us uncomfortable for large stretches of the match. I'm grateful that we played such a great opponent because we needed to find out what we're made of. Because we were so pushed so hard today we had to learn, fight, and ultimately decide how badly we wanted it. I'm so proud of this team for finding a way to win when things didn't always go our way. It was a big gut check for us and a great way to get started on our post-season dreams. "

In the first set, Union jumped out to a small lead (9-6) to force the Golden Knights to regroup, but the Knights responded by scoring nine of the next 13 points to take a 15-13 edge. The teams would push back and forth for the next few points, with Union finally reclaiming the lead at 21-20. The Dutchwomen were still up by one point (23-22) late in the set, but the Knights ended the set with a kill from Victoria Kirkemo, an ace by Tara Stilwell, and a kill by Lauren Hutchinson.

The disappointment of dropping the first set was short-lived for the Dutchwomen as they raced out to a 6-1 lead in the second set. Despite the small early deficit, Clarkson slowly rallied back, scoring four straight points midway through the set to take a 16-15 lead. Although Union scored two straight to edge back out in front, Clarkson went on a 6-0 run that was capped off by back-to-back aces from Stilwell, and that was enough to pick up the second-set win.

Set number three was another back and forth affair with neither team gaining much of a lead in the early going. Consecutive attack errors by the Dutchwomen gave Clarkson a 19-16 lead and it appeared as if the Golden Knights might claim a sweep in the championship, but Union battled back with four straight points, including consecutive aces by Ally Van Doren. Although Clarkson ended the run with a kill from Aishvina Arasu, Union scored five of the final six points, capitalizing on three attack errors by Clarkson and ending the set with a kill from Kelley White.

With both teams having expended plenty of energy, the fourth set proved to be sloppy for both teams. Clarkson led 9-6, but saw its advantage evaporate and turn into a six-point deficit (18-12) as Clarkson committed eight attack errors in a 13-point stretch. A timeout stopped the bleeding, however, and the Golden Knights once again came back, taking a lead at 21-20. Just a few points later, though, Union was in a position to send the match to a fifth set with a 24-23 lead following a kill from Morgan Clark. That was the final point the Dutchwomen would score as Kirkemo tied the set with a kill, an attack error by Union gave Clarkson the lead, and a kill from Rachael Aird snuck inside the back line to give the Knights the win.

Senior setter Kirstie Shurie was named the Liberty League Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, recording 47 assists and eight digs in the championship match. Tara Stilwell played well in the back row for Clarkson, producing 17 digs and recording six aces from the service line. Aishvina Arasu had a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs and Kirkemo did the same with 10 kills and 13 digs. Aird and Lauren Hutchinson also produced nine kills each.

For Union, Rachel Wyman led the team on offense with 15 kills, while Lauren Woods was strong in the middle with 11 kills and nine blocks (one solo, eight block assists). Kelley White also had nine kills and Morgan Clark was the most efficient hitter with a line of 8-0-18. Amanda Price produced 38 assists and 17 digs, while Katherine Moeller had a match-high 22 digs.

Liberty League Championship All-Tournament Team

Kirstie Shurie (Clarkson) - Most Outstanding Player

Rachael Aird (Clarkson)

Aishvina Arasu (Clarkson)

Morgan Clark (Union)

Lauren Hutchinson (Clarkson)

Tara Stilwell (Clarkson)

Lauren Woods (Union)

Rachel Wyman (Union)