Gannon-WVSU Box Score

Gannon-Lake Erie Box

ERIE, Pa. - Behind a big offensive day from senior Lauren Sazama (St. Louis, Mo. / Oakville), the Gannon volleyball team opened the Gannon-Mercyhurst Invitational with a pair of 3-0 sweeps Friday. The Lady Knights defeated West Virginia state by scores of 25-19, 25-22, 25-22 and Lake Erie 25-15, 25-14, 25-14. 

Sazama was at her best during the two matches Friday averaging 7.75 points and 6.50 kills per set with a .508 hitting percentage. The senior committed just seven errors in 63 chances. She also totaled 11 digs, seven aces and five assists. 

In total, four Lady Knights hit .350 or better with double digit kills during Friday's action. Morgan Reineke (New Knoxville, Ohio / New Knoxville) averaged 3.17 kills per set with a .350 hitting percentage. Sarah Glancy (Walled Lake, Mich. / Walled Lake Central) and Kayle Knickerbocker (Richland, Mich. / Gull Lake) tallied 14 and 13 kills respectively, each hitting better than .440.

Managing the offense all day was Megan Wendel (Aurora, Ohio / Kenston), who totaled 78 assist in the two matches, averaging out to an impressive 13 per set. As a team, Gannon averaged 16.1 kills per set with a .410 hitting percentage. 

“We played pretty well in both matches today, especially on offense,” said head coach Matt Darling. “Megan really moved the ball well tonight, and our passing and defense made it possible for her to use all of the hitters.”

Despite strong execution on the offensive side, Gannon was never able to pull away from the Yellow Jackets. The first set saw the Lady Knights finish with a .520 hitting percentage without a single attack error. However, West Virginia State threatened the entire set, trailing just four points down the stretch. Gannon needed a kill from Sazama and an ace from Wendel to wrap up the 1-0 lead.

The Yellow Jackets took a lead in the second set with a 14-5 run that made the score 20-11. However, Gannon battled back eventually rolling off nine straight points behind the serve of Lauren Sazama for the come-from-behind win. The Gannon offense tallied four straight kills before a pair of aces from Sazama brought the Lady Knights within one. Three straight scores from Reineke set up set point, where Sazama sealed it with another ace. 

Another close battle in the third set, Gannon eventually escaped with a 25-22 win after finishing with four straight points. Glancy added a kill and a block assists down the stretch for the Lady Knights

Gannon was in control from start to finish against Lake Erie, taking care of the storm in just under an hour. The Storm hit just .022 against the Lady Knights, committing a total of 16 attack errors. On the other side, Gannon hit .394, totaling 48 kills.

Gannon scored points in bunches during the first set, gradually building a lead the Storm couldn't overcome. 

In the second set, Gannon used a 9-1 run to build an early lead. After a quick scoring spurt from the Storm, Lake Erie struggled with Sazama's serve, allowing Gannon to take a 20-11 lead. A block from Glancy and Reineke finished off the 25-14 win. 

It was more of the same in the third set as Gannon finished the match on a 12-2 run. Lake Erie, who opened the season with a five-set win over West Virginia State earlier in the day, fell to 1-1 with the loss. Gannon improved to 4-1 after the two wins Friday. 

“In the first match, Lauren Sazama was incredibly efficient, but she benefitted from the hard work of Emily Carver, who played her best collegiate match,” said Darling. “Tonight it was Taryn Graham and Sarah Glancy who starred; we'll need that kind of balance moving forward.”

Carver totaled five kills on nine touches in the first match for a .444 hitting percentage. Graham turned in a pair of stellar defensive performances with 13 and 23 digs respectively in the two matches. 

The Lady Knights return to action tomorrow with a pair of matches at the Hammermill Center. Gannon plays Holy Family at 10:30 a.m. and Ohio Dominican at 3:30 p.m.