SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Following its first home match of the season, the Slippery Rock University volleyball team returns to the road for the 13th time in 2023 when it travels to Clarion 6 p.m. Friday for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division match.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Video and in-match statistics for Friday's match will be provided by the Clarion Sports Information office at the below links.
 
MATCH 14 DETAILS
Opponent: Clarion
Date: Friday – 6 p.m.
Location: Tippin Gymnasium – Clarion, Pennsylvania
Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-match Updates: Twitter/X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: Clarion leads 57-53
Last Played: Oct. 22, 2022 (Clarion won 3-0)
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Clarion holds a 57-53 lead over Slippery Rock in the all-time series which dates back to 1973. The Golden Eagles enter Friday's match having won 18 straight matches against SRU.
 
Top SRU Performers vs. Clarion
(Per Match Average)
Callie Chevalier: 7 Kills, 5 Digs (1 Match)
Erica Selfridge: 4.5 Kills, 7.0 Digs (4 Matches)
Chelsie Wheeler: 3.0 Kills (4 Matches)
Kate Lachendro: 10.3 Digs (4 Matches)
Jaeden Yost: 11.5 Assists, 5.5 Digs (2 Digs)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
Overall Record: 8-5
PSAC West: 0-1 (t-7th)
Home Record: 0-1
Away Record: 2-3
Neutral Site Record: 6-1
Streak: L1
Last Five: 2-3
Head Coach: Laurie Lokash | 40th Year (670-631 / .515)
 
ROCK STAT LEADERS
ATTACK: Erica Selfridge (127 kills / .172), Callie Chevalier (115 kills / .132)
ASSISTS: Jaeden Yost (253 / 5.88 per set)
ACES: Alayna Chizmar (16), Yost (16)
DIGS: Selfridge (208 / 4.52 per set), Kate Lachendro (208 / 5.47)
BLOCKS: Lauren VonderHaar (55), Mary Berger (31)
 
ROCK SINGLE-MATCH LEADERS
KILLS: Callie Chevalier – 17 vs. Roberts Wesleyan
ASSISTS: Jaeden Yost – 34 vs. Roberts Wesleyan
ACES: Alayna Chizmar – 5 vs. Fairmont State
DIGS: Kate Lachendro – 33 vs. Roberts Wesleyan
BLOCKS: Lauren VonderHaar – 9 vs. Ursuline

SCOUTING THE ROCK
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock lost a tough five-set decision at home Tuesday to Gannon 20-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-15, 15-11 (Box Score).
 
A CHALLENGING OPENING STRETCH
Slippery Rock drew Gannon and Clarion in back-to-back matches to start its PSAC West schedule this season. The combination is perhaps the most challenging that any team in the conference will face.
 
Not only have Gannon and Clarion played in the last two PSAC Tournament Championship matches, the Golden Knights and Golden Eagles are also both receiving votes in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Top-25 poll and are a combined 19-4 this season.
 
TOUGH TO BEAT IN THE SECOND
Slippery Rock has won the second set in nine of its 13 matches this season. SRU's 9-4 record in the second set is its best mark in any set this year with the first set (8-5) ranking second.
 
SRU AMONG THE PSAC'S BEST
Over 13 matches, Slippery Rock leads the PSAC in digs per set with 19.1 per match while also ranking fourth in blocks per set (2.1) and fifth in kills per set (12.07).
 
ROCK SOLID IN THE MIDDLE
Slippery Rock's combination of Lauren VonderHaar and Mary Berger have proven to be one of the better middle hitter pairings in the PSAC this season. The pair have combined for 86 blocks, the third best total by a PSAC duo to date.
 
Individually, VonderHaar has recorded 55 blocks – the fifth-highest total in the nation – all the while tallying 55 kills and ranking eighth in the PSAC in attack percentage (.299). Berger meanwhile is well on her way to posting career-highs in both kills and blocks as she has already totaled 69 and 31, respectively.
 
Top Block Duos in the PSAC
1. Indiana (Lauren Valentic / Caroline Walsh): 121
2. Shepherd (Renee Killough / Joi Fairweather): 89
3. Slippery Rock (Lauren VonderHaar / Mary Berger): 86
 
SIBLING RIVALRY
Friday's match features sisters on opposite sides of net in Slippery Rock's Erica Selfridge and Clarion's Abigail Selfridge.
 
Both Erica and Abigail are vital pieces of their respective team's success. Erica, who had a 14-kill, 23-dig double-double vs. Gannon, has started all 13 matches and leads The Rock with 127 kills (2.76 per set), 208 digs (4.52) and 12 aces while Abigail ranks fourth in the PSAC in total aces in addition to leading Clarion in digs.
 
SEASON-HIGH PERFORMANCE BY CHIZMAR
Alayna Chizmar came off the bench against Gannon to match her season-high kill output in a single-match with 13. The 13 kills also marked The Rock veteran's highest total against a PSAC West team over her entire career.
 
2023 is shaping up to be a career-year, Chizmar is tied for the team lead in aces with 16 all the while having already posted 87 kills and 15 blocks.
 
WHEELER COMES UP BIG
In what was her second start of the season, Chelsie Wheeler came through with a great performance against Gannon in which she tallied 12 kills on an efficient .300 attack percentage to go with two blocks. In 13 matches played this season, Wheeler is fourth on the team in kills (75), second in attack percentage (.261) and fourth in blocks (22).
 
LUCKY NUMBER 13 FOR LACHENDRO
Libero Kate Lachendro made 25 digs against Gannon, her 35th career 20+ dig showing, and in the process moved into 13th place for digs in a career at The Rock with 1,353. She is now 38 digs away from surpassing Michele Ide (1999-02) for 12th place.
 
Entering the weekend, Lachendro ranks second in the PSAC in digs per set with 5.47. She is also tied for fifth on The Rock alongside Paige Weeder, in aces with seven.
 
BOUNCE-BACK MATCH FOR CHEVALIER
Despite a slightly off performance against Gannon, Callie Chevalier still enters the Clarion match with 115 kills, 13 aces, 109 digs and 26 blocks. One of SRU's top all-around performers, Chevalier ranks second on the team in kills, third in blocks, third in aces and third in digs.
 
GUIDING THE ATTACK
Now in her second year in the program, Jaeden Yost is once again one of Slippery Rock's primary setters. A starter in nine of 13 matches this year, Yost has compiled a team-best 253 assists (5.88 per set) in addition to being tied with Chizmar for team-high honors in aces (16) and ranking fourth in digs (99).  
 
Peytan Gullickson has also appeared in all 13 matches, with two starts, to tally 141 assists.
 
Yost and Gullickson head to Clarion already ranked 14th and 16th, respectively, for assists in a career at The Rock.
 
Joining Yost and Gullickson in SRU's stable of setters is freshman Jalynn West, who has earned playing time in five consecutive matches, two of which were starts. The rookie has 57 assists through the last five matches to go with three aces and 27 digs.

NO EASY POINTS
While Gannon was ultimately able to earn a victory over The Rock in five sets earlier in the week, it was by no means easy. Despite holding a distinct size advantage over SRU, the Golden Knights ended the match with a team season-low .140 attack percentage.
 
Outside of its matches against Wheeling (.376), West Liberty (.239) and Anderson (.260), opponents have not had an easy go of it on the attack against SRU, which has held opponents to an attack percentage of no more than .150 nine times this year and ranks eighth in the 17-team PSAC in overall opponent attack percentage (.159).
 
NEXT FIVE MATCHES
Sept. 29 (7 p.m.) vs. Mercyhurst
Sept. 30 (4 p.m.) vs. Edinboro
Oct. 3 (7 p.m.) vs. Seton Hill
Oct. 6 (6 p.m.) at California (Pa.)
Oct. 7 (4 p.m.) at Wheeling
 
CAREER RECORDS WATCH
Digs (No. 9-13)
9. Missy Watson (1990-93): 1,512
10. Renee Chesley (1990-93): 1,424
11: Gaylene Abbott (1993-96): 1,402
12. Michele Ide (1999-02): 1,389
13: Kate Lachendro: 1,352
 
Assists (No. 12-16)
12. Stephanie Kluge (1999-02): 1,171
13: Ali Fleagle (2010-13): 885
14. Jaeden Yost: 857
15. Michele Shatto (1994-97): 822
16: Peytan Gullickson: 622
 
Kills (No. 16-20)
16. Layna Heilman-Houser (2002-05): 729
17. Kaley Fucci (2016-19): 720
18. Katie Greco (2003-06): 698
19: Caroline Houston (2008-12): 684
20: Sarah Cadwallader (2008-12): 673
Top Active: Erica Selfridge: 669

CLARION PRIMER
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
Overall Record: 10-2
AVCA Top-25: Receiving Votes
Home Record: 4-0
Away Record: 1-2
Neutral Site Record: 5-0
Streak: L1
Last Five: 4-1
Head Coach: Jennifer Herron | 17th Year (376-162 / .699)
 
CLARION STAT LEADERS
ATTACK: Cassidy Snider (202 kills / .302), Charlie Allison (100 kills / .282)
ASSISTS: London Fuller (492 / 11.18 per set)
ACES: Abigail Selfridge (24), Snider (17)
DIGS: Selfridge (166 / 3.77 per set)
BLOCKS: Finley Kearney (29), Allison (24)
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Friday's match will serve as Clarion's PSAC West opener. The Golden Eagles have started 2023 by going 10-2 in non-conference competition with their only losses to date coming against Wheeling and Grand Valley State.
 
Over its first 12 matches, the Golden Eagles have compiled stats that lead the PSAC in kills per set (13.3), assists per set (12.2) in addition to ranking second in attack percentage (.231), second in opponent aces (1.18 per set) and sixth in blocks per set (1.86).
 
The Clarion offense runs through the setter/attacker duo of London Fuller and Cassidy Snider. Fuller ranks 10th in the nation in assists per set (11.18) while Snider is third in all of Division II in total kills (202) and ninth in kills per set (4.59). Snider averaged 15 kills a match in two contests versus The Rock a year ago.
 
When Snider isn't on the attack, Clarion turns to Charlie Allison, who has 100 kills. Snider and Allison have combined to produce 51.6 percent of the Golden Eagles' kills this year.
 
Selfridge leads Clarion in both aces (24) and digs (166) while the quartet of Allison (24), Snider (22). Fuller (20) and Finley Kearney (29) have all totaled at least 20 blocks.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock opens a season-long three-match homestand against Mercyhurst University 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at Morrow Field House.





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