Schenectady, NY – With two victories on Friday night, the Clarkson University Volleyball team clinched one of the top two spots in the upcoming Liberty League Tournament, and now the Golden Knights will look to claim the conference regular-season title for the fourth straight year and the fifth time in the past six seasons.

The Golden Knights improved to 19-8 on the season with its pair of victories. Clarkson defeated Bard College in the first match of the day in three straight sets (25-5, 25-5, 25-7) then followed that up with another three-set win against Skidmore (25-15, 25-13, 25-18). Clarkson will take on Union College at 12:00 noon on Saturday, but even with a win in that match the Knights will still need to defeat Vassar at 2:00 pm to guarantee themselves the top spot in the Liberty League.

In the first match of the day, the Golden Knights enjoyed their most dominant showing since 2011. Bard was able to muster just 17 total points in the three sets, with just seven coming on offense (six kills, one ace). It was Clarkson's most lopsided victory since defeating Bard in three straight on October 1, 2011 (25-3, 25-5, 25-7). None of the sets were particularly close, as the Golden Knights raced out to a 14-1 lead in the first and a 9-1 edge in the second. The third set saw the Raptors make things interesting in the early going, coming within four points prior to either team reaching double digits (9-5), but Clarkson won 16 of the final 18 points to cruise to the easy win. Rachael Aird hit .591 in the match with 14 kills and just a single error on 22 attacks, while Maddie Bredehoeft contributed seven kills with only one miscue in 17 attempts. Savannah Peters added in three kills with four total blocks (three solo, one assist) and Sophia Holms added three kills, three aces and nine digs. Kate Isaksen led the way with 10 digs and Jillian Saenz distributed on 24 kills. Bard hit -.286 for the match (6-26-70).

Clarkson was able to keep Skidmore below 20 points in each of its three sets against the Thoroughbreds by utilizing its offensive momentum at key moments. In the first set, the Golden Knights were up 15-11, but rattled off six straight to take a commanding double-digit lead and finish off the set by 10. In the second set, Katrina Lane and Kendall Cheval combined for four kills in a seven-point stretch that saw a one-point Clarkson lead expand to eight midway through the match. In the third set, the two teams were tied 10-10 before Clarkson rushed out to a substantial lead thanks to a 9-2 run that all but ended the set and the match. Aird again was dominant in the middle with 14 kills against just two errors in 29 attempts for a .414 hitting percentage, while both Katrina Lane and Maddie Bredehoeft added eight kills. Rachel Reusch returned from a six-match lay off with six kills and two solo blocks. Jillian Saenz ran the offense to a .311 hitting percentage (48-11-119) with 38 assists and 11 digs, while Sophia Holms kicked in three aces. Kate Isaksen also contributed 18 digs.