ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon volleyball team rolled to a ninth straight win Friday night in front of a rowdy crowd at the Hammermill Center. The Lady Knights defeated defending Atlantic region champion Clarion by scores of 25-22, 25-20 and 25-20.
The Lady Knights controlled the pace through most of the match, with great passing as the key to the momentum. Gannon also relied on their blocking, finishing with two solo blocks and 16 block assists.
Lauren Sazama (St. Louis, Mo. / Oakville) and Morgan Reineke (New Knoxville, Ohio / New Knoxville) provided the offensive spark in the first set. The Lady Knights held and 11-9 lead before the Golden Eagles rolled off a 5-0 run to take the lead at 14-11. After a Gannon timeout, Reineke got the Lady Knights back on track with her first of three straight kills. Sazama and Kara Cullen (Marstons Mills, Mass. / Barnstable) would combine for five more kills to finish out the 25-22 win in the first set.
The Lady Knights would take advantage of Clarion's miscues in the second set. After jumping out to a 7-3 lead, Gannon eventually held its largest lead (18-11) after kills from Sazama and Courtney Cook (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / St. Peter Chanel). Despite hitting just .150 in the set, Gannon would go up 2-0 after the Golden Eagles committed seven attack errors, hitting 0.83 during the frame.
Gannon again overpowered Clarion in the third setting, holding the Golden Eagles to a .102 hitting percentage and forcing them into nine attack errors. Cullen helped the Lady Knights open with a 12-6 lead after four straight Gannon kill's came from the senior middle. Clarion attempted a rally late in the set, rolling off five straight points, but the Lady Knight's lead was too much. A kill from Sarah Glancy (Walled Lake, Mich. / Walled Lake Central) sent the Gannon crowd into a roar as the Lady Knights earned the 3-0 sweep.
Sazama matched her season-high kill total with 18. The junior has now recorded double-digit kills in five straight matches, earning double-doubles in three straight. Sazama and Taryn Graham (Huron, Ohio / Huron) finished tied with a team-high 19 digs.
Cullen also reached double-digits, hitting .333 in the match with one solo block and four block assists. Reineke finished with six kills, three digs and an ace in the match. Alex DelPiombo (Monroe, Mich. / St. Mary's Catholic Central) dished out 28 assists and recorded six digs. Glancy's presence at the net resulted in five block assists and one solo block
Gannon was able to hold defending PSAC West Player of the Year Kellie Bartman to a -.028 hitting percentage in the match. She had nine kills, but also recorded 10 errors.
As a team the Lady Knights hit .237 for the match compared to .135 for the Golden Eagles. They held advantages in blocks (10-5), digs (63-51) and kills (41-39).
Gannon's nine-match win streak moved them to 9-4 this season with a 5-0 record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Clarion now stands at 7-6 on the year with a 3-1 record in conference action.
The Lady Knights return to the court Saturday, September 24 to face off against Slippery Rock, who holds a 14-1 record. The match is scheduled to start at the Hammermill Center at 2 p.m.
For a complete box score from tonight's Gannon-Clarion volleyball match, please click here.
