LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Fresh off a 20-win regular season, the Eastern Division No. 2 seed Lock Haven women's volleyball team turns its attention to the postseason as the Bald Eagles host Western Division No. 3 seed Clarion on Wednesday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Volleyball Championships.
The Bald Eagles 20-win regular season is the best season for the program since a 21-win campaign in 2015. Lock Haven carries a five-match winning streak into the PSAC quarterfinal against Clarion and has won nine in a row inside the confines of Thomas Fieldhouse.
In the most recent NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings released on Monday, the Bald Eagles remain in fifth place in the Atlantic Region with 57.151 points while the Golden Eagles remain in seventh in the region with 56.787 points.
Lock Haven most recently swept Kutztown by a 3-0 score in the regular season finale on Nov. 7.
Avery Smith hit .556 with 11 kills and one error on 18 attempts, and
Reagan Irons also had 11 kills as the Bald Eagles avenged a pair of defeats at the hands of the Golden Bears earlier in the season. Freshman
Natalie Gibson recorded a double-double with 36 assists and 11 digs,
Olivia Taylor had 20 digs and
Maddie Mitchell chipped in a pair of aces.
Taylor leads the PSAC in digs at 6.39 per set and in service aces at 0.58 per set. Aside from her PSAC rankings, she is second in the nation in digs per set and stands 12th in Division II in aces per set. She has recorded double-digit digs in 25 straight matches and has 588 digs on the year.
Gibson ranks fourth in the league in assists at 9.58 per set and has 881 this season while
Demi Ross ranks sixth in the PSAC in aces at 0.44 per set.
At the net, Smith ranks fourth in the PSAC in hitting percentage at .344, and
Payton Stanton is eighth at .314.
Clarion wrapped up the regular season with a 19-8 record and enters Wednesday's matchup riding a two-match winning streak. The Golden Eagles' strength is at the net. Cara Vandeborne leads the PSAC in blocks at 1.38 per set, and she has 155 on the season.
Finley Kearney is fifth in the league in blocks at 1.04 per set and ninth in hitting percentage at .302. Emily Klopp is eighth in blocks at 0.98. Taylor Haupt leads Clarion with 307 kills, and setter Natalie Karrick runs the offense for the Golden Eagles with 545 assists.
Libero Kalina Powell has 477 digs and ranks ninth in the PSAC at 4.30 per set.
Lock Haven leads the all-time series 37-23 and is 20-9 at home against Clarion. The Golden Eagles have won the last five meetings, however, including a 3-1 victory in the last matchup on Sept. 11, 2021. Lock Haven's last win in the series came Nov. 13, 2009, a 3-0 sweep at home.
As a reminder, there are no Complimentary Tickets or PSAC Passes Honored. Tickets can only be purchased via Hudl Tickets. This will be a cashless event. It is advised to purchase tickets prior to arriving, however, tickets will be available for purchase on site.
