Clawson defeated St. Clair, the No. 1 team in the MAC Gold, in three sets (25-22, 30-28, 25-31) on Monday, handing the visiting team its first loss of the season.

Charlie Verner led the Trojans with 14 kills and seven digs. Jillian Liford had nine kills and two blocks, and Aliyah Vesper had six kills, five digs and two blocks. 

Gabrielle Kalcec had five blocks, and Hayley Kauffman had three blocks, as both played a pivotal role by defending against St. Clair's big middle hitter.

Ava LaMotte and Natty Lertkasem each had 17 digs and two aces. Renata Carlesimo had 18 assists and six digs, and Anna Smith had seven assists. 

Liford had a team-high four kills in the first set, including a sideout kill on the first play of the set, and a tip kill for the last point of the set, winning the first game for the Trojans at 25-22.

Clawson then trailed 16-12 in the second set before battling back for a 17-16 lead. The two teams exchanged blows, and despite facing two different set points from St. Clair, the Trojans played a near-airtight defense to take the second set 30-28. 

St. Clair responded with a 3-0 advantage early in the third, and another 17-14 edge later on, but that would be the largest lead they would have for the remainder of the match. A tip kill from Kalcec put Clawson up 18-17, and the Trojans held their lead until the last whistle at 25-21.

Clawson improves to 13-4 overall, and is 5-0 in the MAC Silver.