ERIE, Pa – The Gannon volleyball team will travel this weekend to Elkins, West Virginia for three matches at the Davis & Elkins Tournament. Gannon will face tough competition during the opening weekend taking on the University of Findlay, Davis & Elkins College and Texas A&M University - Kingsville.
A young Gannon volleyball team took large steps in 2009, qualifying for the NCAA tournament in just its third season under head coach Matt Darling. The NCAA tournament bid represents the first for the program since the 1995 season. The 2009 season was also a highly decorated one with a total of four players earning All-PSAC West honors and Darling garnering PSAC West Coach-of-the-Year honors.
The young team exceeded expectations early, starting the season with an 11-2 record that included six straight wins over regional opponents. Gannon earned regular-season splits with regional qualifiers Edinboro, Clarion and Mercyhurst en route to a 22-10 overall record and a 13-6 mark in conference play. The Lady Knights also put up an impressive 6-1 mark in PSAC East-West Crossover matches.
The 2009 season came to an end when Wheeling Jesuit avenged an early-season five-set loss, defeating the Lady Knights in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
"The team's goals are pretty simple this year," said Darling. "We want to make the PSAC and NCAA playoffs and have the chance to win a championship. This year's PSAC race promises to be extremely competitive, so several teams will be fighting for that PSAC banner."
On paper, the 2010 squad won't differ much from 2009 after graduating only two seniors and returning six of seven starters. This year's team will be led by seniors Kendall Fischer (Macedonia, Ohio / Nordonia) and Jess Saunders (Hinckley, Ohio / Highland). Referred to as the warriors of the team by Darling, Saunders will continue to provide stability in the back court as the team's libero while Fischer could see more of a utility role due to her attacking and passing skills, combined with her ability to run the team from the setter's position if necessary.
The junior class, the largest by the numbers, features a trio of powerful and experienced hitters. Lindsey Deitmen (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) started 29 matches last year, finishing with 183 kills. Courtney Cook (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / St. Peter Chanel) started 25 matches last season and was selected as PSAC West Player of the Week after hitting .397 and recording 21 blocks during four Gannon victories. Chelsea Barrett (Coloma, Mich. / Coloma) has worked hard this offseason on her serve receive and will provide options on the court for the coaching staff.
The junior class will also feature a strong presence in the middle of the court with All-PSAC West second-team selection Kara Cullen (Marstons Mills, Mass. / Barnstable) guarding the net for the Lady Knights. The PSAC statistical champion in blocks (1.12) per set, ranked 21st in the nation and was an AVCA All-Atlantic Region honorable-mention selection. Joining Cullen will be Claren Harris (South Milwaukee, Wis. / South Milwaukee), who brings additional height and athleticism to the position and will be valuable on the court this season.
Junior, Alex DelPiombo (Monroe, Mich. / St. Mary's Catholic Central) will see a significant increase in playing time this season. DelPiombo looks to step in as the team's starting setter, a role she has successfully filled on a part-time basis the previous two seasons.
The final member of the junior class, Shelly Hill (Cochranton, Pa. / Cochranton) finished the 2009 season with 110 digs from the back row and her serve receive skills will prove valuable to the Lady Knights this season.
The young sophomore class is already familiar with action on the court, having accumulated a combined 57 starts. Morgan Reineke (New Knoxville, Ohio / New Knoxville) earned PSAC West Freshman-of-the-Year honors after finishing second among PSAC players in kills per set (3.45). Pushing her all season was fellow sophomore Lauren Sazama (St. Louis, Mo. / Oakville), who finished eighth in the conference with 3.07 kills per set. Each have already left their mark on the Gannon record books with Reineke's 386 kills ranking 13th on the single-season list while Sazama's 77 service aces are fifth-most in a single season.
Sarah Glancy (Walled Lake, Mich. / Walled Lake Central) rounds out the returners and will see time in the middle this fall. Glancy provides a well-rounded option in the middle of the net, improving both offensively and defensively during the summer.
The lone newcomer to the 2010 team is freshman Alex West (Fairport, N.Y. / Allendale Columbia School), who could see time on the outside or in the back row.
"We will need to execute game plans well enough to keep our opponents off balance," said Darling. "Keys to our success this year include staying healthy and finding the winning chemistry that all championship teams have."
