ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon volleyball team hosts Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.) in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contests at the Hammermill Center this weekend. The Lady Knights face IUP Friday, October 23, at 7 p.m. and then square off with Cal Saturday, October 24, at 2 p.m.
Live stats for both contests will be available at
http://www.gannon.edu/athletics/women/volleyba/lstats/XLIVE.HTM.
The B2 Network will broadcast Friday's match live at
http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=85.
GU enters the weekend with an overall record of 18-6. It is fourth in the PSAC West at 9-4. The Knights are a game ahead of Mercyhurst and Indiana for the final spot in the postseason conference tournament. Just as importantly, Gannon is fourth in the NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings as of October 15. The four conference champions represented in the Atlantic gain automatic bids, with the next four highest-ranked programs receiving at-large spots.
IUP is 15-11 overall and 8-5 in the conference. The Crimson Hawks will look to even the season series and tie Gannon for fourth in the West with a win Friday. GU swept a meeting between the schools on September 26. Indiana is ranked eighth in the Atlantic, having won four of its last five contests.
California is the top team in the region entering the weekend. The Vulcans are 22-5 overall and 13-0 in the PSAC. They lost at Juniata Tuesday, October 20, snapping a 15-match win streak. In 2008, Cal won the conference, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament on its way to a school-record 40-2 mark.
Gannon is off to its best start since the 2003 season, when they went 18-6 to begin the campaign. That Lady Knight team finished 21-9. The 2009 Knights are led by
Morgan Reineke (New Knoxville, Ohio/New Knoxville), who has 281 kills, third most in the conference. Senior
Maire Prybyl (Mars, Pa./North Catholic) has handed out the second-most assists in the league, with 803 this year. Freshman
Lauren Sazama (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) leads the PSAC with 63 service aces.