WHEELING, W.Va. – California (Pa.) hit over .340 during the final two sets to snap a 1-1 tie and ended the Gannon volleyball team's postseason run Friday night with a 3-1 victory during the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament hosted by Wheeling Jesuit. The verdict came by scores of 25-20, 23-25, 25-19 and 25-18.
One day after Gannon recorded its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1993, the Lady Knights' season came to an end with a 29-6 record. It represented the program's most victories in a season since the 1992 team finished 40-2.
The 2012 season was filled with firsts. Gannon won its first-ever conference championship, capturing the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crown with back-to-back five-set victories against Shippensburg and Lock Haven. The Lady Knights won their first PSAC Western Division regular-season championship, resulting in their first postseason home match since 1993. The ensuing sweep of Mercyhurst during the conference quarterfinals was the program's first postseason victory since 2003.
Gannon and Cal split two regular-season match-ups and appeared to be headed for another battle after splitting the first two sets during Friday's encounter. The Vulcans never trailed during the first set, before posting a 25-20 victory.
Head coach
Matt Darling's club rebounded with a 25-23 win during the second set. Gannon ripped off five straight points to switch a 7-5 deficit into a 10-7 lead. The final two points came off block assists from
Lauren Sazama (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) and
Sarah Glancy (Walled Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central).
California (Pa.) regained control at 17-15, but Gannon responded again. The redirect came with seven consecutive points this time. Three kills and two blocks spurred the rally. A Vulcans' attack error capped the run, giving the Lady Knights a 22-17 edge. Cal again rallied to pull within 24-23, but Sazama ended the threat with a kill.
Unfortunately for Gannon, Cal then caught fire during the next two sets. The Vulcans hit .341 during the third set and .351 in the decisive stanza. The squad committed only five errors and recorded 32 kills in 78 attempts during the final two sets.
Cal led from start to finish during the third set. The Vulcans produced leads of nine points on a four different occasions, before settling for a 25-18 victory.
Gannon tried to rally again during the fourth frame. The Lady Knights controlled the first half of the set and created an 11-7 lead. However, Cal slowly chipped away at the lead and eventually forged ahead with a 5-0 run. Three of those five points came from Gannon attack errors, giving the Vulcans a 15-12 advantage. The Lady Knights were never able to get closer than two points the rest of the way as Cal clinched the match with a 25-19 win.
Sazama ended her collegiate career with her 71st career double-double, leading both teams with 16 kills and 13 digs. She finished just shy of the school's dig record by 20 and the service ace record by six. Glancy had nine kills and a career-high eight blocks.
Megan Wendel (Aurora, Ohio/Kenston) recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 43 assists and 10 digs. Other Lady Knights in double figures for digs included
Morgan Walters (Girard, Ohio/Girard) (18),
Taryn Graham (Huron, Ohio/Huron) (15) and Maggie Derosiers (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) (13).
Gannon concluded its season at 29-6. The Lady Knights reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season. In the process, the squad advanced to the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments during all four years. The program's 29 overall and wins and 17 PSAC victories were both the most under Darling's guidance. The Lady Knights are now 91-48 during the last four seasons.
California (Pa.) improved to 30-7 and took the season series from Gannon 2-1. The Vulcans will play the Wheeling Jesuit-Clarion winner Saturday, December 1 in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional finals. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
