Canton, NY – With back-to-back sweeps of St. Lawrence and Skidmore on Friday night, the Clarkson University Volleyball team pulled within one win of capturing its third straight Liberty League regular-season title as the Golden Knights improved to 22-6 overall and 10-0 in conference play.

The Golden Knights, ranked 17th in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll, swept St. Lawrence in three sets to open the day (25-19, 25-23, 25-15) and then dispatched Skidmore in three (25-13, 25-14, 25-19) to remain unbeaten in league play.

In the first set against St. Lawrence, the Saints hit well with a .348 hitting percentage, but their chances were limited with only nine kills on 23 swings as Clarkson was able to put the ball down with more frequency, delivering 14 kills on 29 attempts. St. Lawrence rallied back from an early deficit and took the lead midway through the game, but Clarkson scored four straight to regain the advantage. The second set was even tighter as St. Lawrence was down by five late, but pulled back to within a point. However, the Saints couldn't find enough in the tank to tie the set and Aishvina Arasu ended the set with a kill. The third set was never really in doubt as Clarkson battered the Saints with a .500 hitting percentage on 15 kills and only three errors in 24 swings. The Saints closed to within four (11-7), but Clarkson scored seven of the next eight points to take a double-digit lead and cruised to the win.

Aishvina Arasu had a dominant match against the Saints, hitting .577 with 17 kills and just a pair of errors in 26 swings, while Rachael Aird nearly matched her in percentage at .429 with eight kills and two miscues in 14 attempts. In her return after a four-match absence, Kirstie Shurie delivered 37 assists and four aces from the service line. Tara Stilwell had a team-best eight digs, while Shurie and Lauren Hutchinson each produced seven digs.

Though the Golden Knights had some trouble against Skidmore's serves, especially in the third set, Clarkson had little issue with beating the Thoroughbreds. The Knights never hit below .458 in any set, including a robust .609 in the first outing. However, in the final set Clarkson had trouble getting on track with its serve receive and Skidmore enjoyed a six-point lead midway through the frame (15-9). Clarkson found its footing and its offense and rallied to score 16 of the final 20 points.

Arasu once again produced an outstanding match with 14 kills and no errors in 22 swings (.636), while Aird hit .529 (10-1-17) and Danielle Farabee hit .625 (12-2-16). Sierra Rhoads (.368) also had a solid outing with nine kills in 19 swings with just two mistakes. Kirstie Shurie recorded 38 assists and Tara Stilwell contributed 10 digs.