Box Score
Video Highlights and Post-Match Interview
ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon women's volleyball team concluded the regular season with a 3-2 victory over the California (Pa.) Vulcans on Saturday evening at the Hammermill Center. The Lady Knights captured the match with set scores of 24-26, 25-21, 25-15, 23-25 and 16-14. The Lady Knights improved their overall record to 19-12 and 14-8 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), while the Vulcans fall to 26-7 on the season and 19-3 in conference action.
"The freshmen outsides played great tonight, coming up with points at the net and at the service line," said head coach Matt Darling. "Also, Kayla Knickerbocker scored some key points, including taking a great swing for the win in the fifth set. We've been preparing her for this moment, and it was great to see her get it done."
With the regular season complete, the Lady Knights will travel to PSAC Western Division leader Clarion for a PSAC Quarterfinal matchup with the Eagles on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. Clarion holds the top seed in the West with a 20-2 record in conference play and 31-3 overall mark. The Lady Knights enter the postseason on a three-match win streak. Stay tuned to GannonSports.com for all your postseason coverage.
"Meeting Clarion in the first round is obviously a tough draw--they've been the best team pretty much all year, and it's a challenge anytime you face them," said Darling. "We've played two hard-fought matches with them already this year, and I hope that Tuesday's match, too, will be one that will bring out the best in both teams."
After leading the Lady Knights with a career-high 23 kills the night before against Seton Hill, freshman Hannah Kren (Waukesha, Wisc. / Wisconsin Lutheran) was right back at with 22 kills. Kren added 11 digs to record her 16th double-double of the season. Freshman Jordyn Thiery (Cincinnati, Ohio / McAuley) recorded a career-best 21 kills and 18 digs. Sophomore Kayla Knickerbocker (Richland, Mich. / Gull Lake) collected 11 kills and a block assist, while junior Emily Carver (Stow, Ohio / Theodore Roosevelt) finished with a team-best .300 hitting percentage off eight kills. Junior Megan Wendel (Aurora, Ohio / Kenston) tied her season-high of 55 assists, tacking on 11 digs to her totals. Sophomore Morgan Walters (Girard, Ohio / Girard) and junior Taryn Graham (Huron, Ohio / Huron) led the Lady Knights' defensive efforts with 33 digs each.
The Lady Knights recorded a .205 hitting percentage to the Vulcans' .172. Each team finished with nine service aces, while the Lady Knights controlled the net with a 7.0 to 4.0 advantage in total blocks.
To a fitting start given the outcome of the match, it would take extra points to settle the opening set. Trailing California (Pa.) 10-4, Gannon pulled within one off three Vulcan errors. Following a 5-0 run by the Lady Knights, the set was knotted up at 16 each. The Lady Knights captured their first lead of the set on a Vulcans' error to force a timeout. The Vulcans would come back with a 5-1 run to end the set for a 26-24 win and 1-0 lead in the match.
The next two sets belonged to the Lady Knights, as they took a 2-1 lead in the match over the Vulcans.
Gannon held a 6-4 lead before California (Pa.) went on a 6-0 run for a 10-6 lead. The Lady Knights trailed the Vulcans for most of the second set until they tied it up at 18-18, eventually taking a 21-18 lead off six straight points. The Lady Knights sealed the comeback win off a Vulcans' error for a 25-21 victory, tying the match at one apiece.
Erasing a 7-3 deficit with a 4-0 run, the Lady Knights pushed their lead to 9-7. Battling for control in the second set, neither team could distance themselves from each other by more than one point. With the score tied at 13-13, the Lady Knights finished the set with a 12-3 run to take a 25-16 win over the Vulcans and a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was a toss-up with 10 tied scores. Besides a 4-1 Lady Knights' lead early in the match the two squads never took control of the lead by more than two points until the Vulcans took a 24-21 lead at the end. Back-to-back kills by Kren pulled the Lady Knights within one of the Vulcans, 24-23, however a kill by Laurel Miller gave the visitors a 25-23 win to the match at 2-2.
The Lady Knights held the lead throughout the entire final set despite two tied scores. Holding a lead until the Vulcans tied it at 10-10, Kren scored three of the Lady Knights' next four points for a 14-12 lead. The Vulcans would tie the match at 14-14 before Cal error followed by a Knickerbocker kill gave the Lady Knights a 16-14 win in the set and a 3-2 match- victory.
Making its fifth-consecutive postseason appearance, Gannon opens the PSAC Tournament with a quarterfinal matchup at Clarion on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m.
