Poughkeepsie, NY – Despite playing far from flawless volleyball on Saturday, the Clarkson University Volleyball team's Liberty League slate is still unblemished as the Golden Knights were able to beat St. Lawrence in three sets (25-21, 25-10, 25-15) and then followed up that win with a sweep of host Vassar (28-26, 25-20, 25-19).

The Golden Knights, ranked 16th in the latest AVCA Poll, improved to 15-2 overall and moved to 4-0 in the Liberty League, having now won 11 straight matches. St. Lawrence moved to 10-6 with its loss to the Knights, while Vassar to 7-8.

The Saints played scrappily in the first set, keeping several points alive much longer than expected, and even were able to record a few points off the extra opportunities, but Clarkson struck for 18 kills in the opening set, and when the hitters had a chance to put a ball away, they usually did. In the final two sets, the Knights picked up their pace on offense, hitting .359 in their final 50 points (27-4-64). A couple of runs changed the look of each set; in the second set Clarkson rushed out to a 10-3 lead and eventually a 19-6 edge, and in the final set the Knights turned a modest 13-12 lead into a 21-12 cushion when Victoria Kirkemo (Englewood, CO) enjoyed a strong run from the service line that included back-to-back aces and then another kill.

Kirkemo finished with 14 kills, three aces and eight digs, but it was the middle hitters that did the most damage. Freshman Rachael Aird (East Syracuse, NY) and senior Adrienne Walker (Centennial, CO) combined to hit .500 (15-0-30). Aishvina Arasu (Brea, CA) was no slouch either, banging eight kills with only one error in 20 swings. Kirstie Shurie (LaCanada, CA) continued to push her assists per set upward, averaging 12 per game for a total of 36. She also added in a team-best 14 digs and a pair of aces. Evanne Jimenez (Ventura, CA) and Kristen Orlandini (Fairport, NY) chipped in 13 and 10 digs, respectively.

Against Vassar, the Knights made numerous unforced errors, plus a few that were forced by the Brewers. Clarkson recorded 11 miscues on swings and serves in the first set, nine more in the second, and then followed up with 12 in the final set. However, Clarkson's offense was strong enough to overcome the mistakes and outlast the Brewers each time, though Vassar rallied from a five-point deficit with a 9-2 run to take the lead late in the first. Clarkson was able to swing its way out of the hole, though and put together solid offense the remainder of the match.

Aishvina Arasu produced a match-high 14 kills while Victoria Kirkemo came through with a double-double on 11 kills and 16 digs. Adrienne Walker again had just one mistake in 16 attempts on her way to nine kills and three blocks and Rachael Aird added in eight more kills. Kirstie Shurie assisted on 38 kills and Evanne Jimenez tied for the match-high with 18 digs.