ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon volleyball team preserved its perfect record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Saturday afternoon by handing California (Pa.) its first conference loss of the season. Gannon swept the Vulcans in straight sets by scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-23.
The Lady Knights used all aspects of their game during Saturdays win, relying on their offense during the first set before turning to their defense in the second and third sets.
Morgan Reineke (New Knoxville, Ohio / New Knoxville) set the tone for the Lady Knights in the first set by recording eight kills. As a team Gannon hit an impressive .457 during the frame and tallied 19 kills.
As they have many times this season, the Lady Knights rallied behind the serving of Sarah Glancy (Walled Lake, Mich. / Walled Lake Central) to build a lead over the Vulcans. Kills from Kara Cullen (Marstons Mills, Mass. / Barnstable) and Reineke started the rally, follwed by two Cal errors and a solo block from Cullen to give Gannon a 13-4 lead. The Lady Knights never let up, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
After the offensive explosion in the first set, the Lady Knights took a more defensive tone in the second and third sets. Gannon finished with nine of their 10 team blocks in the final two frames.
Trailing 9-10 in the second set, a block from Cullen and Courtney Cook (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / St. Peter Chanel) sparked a 7-2 Gannon run. The run, which was helped by three Cal errors, put the Lady Knights up 16-12. Lauren Sazama (St. Louis, Mo. / Oakville) added a kill while Claren Harris (South Milwaukee, Wis. / South Milwaukee) and Cook also stuffed a California (Pa.) attack during the stretch.
In the final set Gannon battled back-and-forth with California (Pa.) with neither team grabbing a lead greater than three for the first 16 points. However, Gannon would finally break through with the score tied at 16. Back-to-back kills from Cullen and Sazama set up an ace from Cullen to give Gannon a three-point lead. A Reineke kill capped off another big 3-0 win for the Lady Knights.
Gannon hit .319 as a team, committing just eight attack errors. The Lady Knights finished the second set without an error, and hit .230 or better and all three sets. Defensively, Gannon held Cal to a .161 attack percentage, forcing a total of 23 attack errors. The Lady Knights also held a 10-2 advantage in blocks.
Sazama and Reineke each finished with 12 kills. Sazama grabbed another double-double after finishing with a match-high 12 digs. Claren Harris hit .545 in the match with seven kills on 11 touches. The senior middle also had four block assists. Cullen finished with seven kills, four block assists and a solo block.
Glancy turned in an all-around performance for the Lady Knights, scoring a point in nearly every fashion. She provided Gannon with three kills, six block assists, four digs, two assists and two aces during the crucial PSAC win. The junior also recorded block assists on three straight points during the final set.
Alex DelPiombo (Monroe, Mich. / St. Mary's Catholic Central) and Megan Wendel (Aurora, Ohio / Kenston) dished out 24 and eight assists respectively.
Gannon improved to 12-5 overall this season and holds an 8-0 record in conference. The Lady Knights are now the only remaining PSAC school undefeated in conference action. California moves to 14-3 overall with a 6-1 record in conference matches.
Gannon will hit the road for the second PSAC East-West Crossover tournament this weekend. The Lady Knights will take on Kutztown and West Chester on Friday before facing Cheyney on Saturday.
For a complete box score from today's Gannon-California (Pa.) volleyball match, please click here.
