(Photo: Mackenzie Biggs)

But it wasn’t just any comeback, as the fifth set was an epic battle that saw Clarion (24-2 overall, 15-1 PSAC West) finally pull out a 23-21 win in a set that was originally slated to go to 15 points.

Cal (20-7, 12-4) took the first two sets by scores of 27-25 and 25-14 before Clarion rallied to force the fifth set with tight wins of 25-23 and 31-29.

Then in the fifth set, both teams had multiple opportunities to close out the match with Cal holding leads of 14-13, 18-17, 19-18, 20-19 and 21-20 and Clarion grabbing leads of 15-14, 16-15 and 17-16.

But neither team could put the match away until the Golden Eagles rallied from the 21-20 deficit to take the final three points of the match on kills by Mackenzie Biggs and Carlie Bieranowski and a block by Biggs and Abbey Cox.

The Biggs kill tied the set at 21, the block then gave Clarion a 22-21 lead and Bieranowski won the match with her kill off a set assist from Laura Subject.

Bieranowski, Subject and Biggs and Catherine Ferragonio all had a big matches for Clarion.

Biggs led the Golden Eagles with 20 kills and a .292 hitting percentage (20 kills, 6 errors, 48 attempts), while Bieranowski, Subject and Ferragonio each had double-doubles. Bieranowksi’s was a 15-kill, 17-dig performance, Subject’s was a 61-set assist, 17-dig performance with five kills added in and Ferragonio added 12 kills and 28 digs.

Meanwhile Gabrielle Olson and Cox each had double-digit kills for Clarion as well with both attacking for 11 kills. Olson had two blocks and Cox three, while Taylor Braunagel had eight kills.

Morgan Seybold was the hero on defense for the Golden Eagles with 57 digs.

Laurel Miller led Cal with 17 kills and 20 digs, while Mary Lavery had 15 kills and five blocks. Kristen Scurpa had 38 set assists and 15 digs, and Samantha Rudy had a team-best 39 digs.

After dropping the first two sets, Clarion jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the third set only to see the Vulcans rally to take a 19-17 lead. But the Golden Eagles fought back going up 21-20 on a Bieranowski kill.

The set then went back and forth with neither team gaining more than a point lead until a Biggs kill continued the match with a 25-23 Clarion win.

Then in the fourth set, the Golden Eagles overcame the temporary loss of Subject to an injury to rally from an 18-13 deficit to take the set 31-29.

Three kills by Ferragonio helped Clarion tie the set at 21, and the Golden Eagles grabbed a 24-22 lead on another Ferragonio kill only to see Cal fight back to take a 26-25 lead. Biggs tied the match back up at 26 with a kill, and a Vulcan error put Clarion ahead 27-26. The Golden Eagles also held 28-27 and 29-28 leads before finally putting the set away on a Subject service ace.

Clarion returns to action at 1 p.m. Saturday at Seton Hill.

NOTES — The win keeps Clarion in sole possession of first place in the PSAC West and puts the Golden Eagles two games ahead of Seton Hill for a home PSAC playoff match … The victory also avenged a 3-0 loss to Cal, Clarion’s lones PSAC loss, in late September in Clarion.