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WHEELING, W. Va. - Making their fifth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Atlantic Regional, the No. 6 seed Gannon women's volleyball fell to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponent and No. 3 seed California, 3-0, on Friday afternoon at the Alma Grace McDonough Center on the campus of top-seed Wheeling Jesuit. The Lady Knights were swept by the Vulcans in set scores of 21-25, 21-25 and 20-25. The Lady Knights finish the season with a 20-14 mark, while the Vulcans move to the next round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional with a 29-8 overall record.
Leading the Lady Knights was junior Emily Carver (Stow, Ohio / Theodore Roosevelt) with a team-high 10 kills along with two block assists. Freshmen Hannah Kren (Waukesha, Wisc. / Wisconsin Lutheran) and Jordyn Thiery (Cincinnati, Ohio / McAuley) each finished with eight kills. Junior Megan Wendel (Aurora, Ohio / Kenston) recorded 24 assists on the day. In her first postseason appearance, freshman Lauren Beck (Chardon, Ohio / Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) earned the start, registering three kills, an assist, two block assists and the team's only solo block. On the defensive side, junior Taryn Graham (Huron, Ohio / Huron) collected 11 digs.
The Vulcans' attack was led by PSAC West Division First Team selections Laurel Miller and Molly Delaney. Miller registered a team-high 12 kills and seven digs, while Molly Delaney recorded nine kills matched by a team-best nine digs. Abbey Freund and Kristen Scurpa combined to direct the Vulcans' offense with 16 and 10 assists, respectively.
The Lady Knights registered a .102 hitting percentage, while the Vulcans recorded a .233 percentage. The difference came down to attack errors with the Lady Knights missing on 22 offensive plays. On the other side of the ball, the Lady Knights tied their second-lowest dig total of the season, which has been a key component to the team's success this year.
The battle at the net was nearly even, as the Vulcans held an edge over the Lady Knights' 5.5-5.0. Delaney led the Vulcans with a solo block and three block assists. For the Lady Knights, Beck finished with a solo block and two block assists, Wendel with four block assists and Carver with two block assists.
The Vulcans took a 5-1 lead in the opening set before the Lady Knights pulled within one at 5-4 off a pair of kills by Carver. Trailing 9-6, the Lady Knights went on a 3-0 run to tie the set at 9-9. Exchanging kills in the next four points, the set was deadlocked at 11. The Vulcans would create separation from the Lady Knights, taking an 18-14 lead. Three straight by the Lady Knights pulled the team within one, 18-17, off two Vulcan attack errors and a Kren kill. Only playing with a one- to two-point lead to close the opening set, the Vulcans finished on a 4-1 run to take the set by the score of 25-21.
The Vulcans set the tone early in the second set with an 11-2 lead. The Lady Knights never quit, continually whittling away at the Vulcans' nearly double-digit lead. The Lady Knights managed to pull within four, 15-11, before the Vulcans extended their lead to 18-11. A 4-0 run with junior Maggie Desrosiers (Uniontown, Ohio / Hoover) at the service line moved the score to 18-15. In the final points, the Lady Knights pulled their way to within two on three occasions. Their final chance for a rally came with the score at 23-21 before back-to-back kills by Miller gave the Vulcans a 25-21 win and a 2-0 advantage in the match.
In the same scenario, the Vulcans jumped out to a 3-1 lead before the Lady Knights came fighting back. Pulling within one of the Vulcans twice, the Lady Knights tied the set at 6-6 and 7-7. With the momentum of the match teetering back and forth, the Vulcans took control off a 7-3 run to take a 17-12 lead. The Vulcans played with the lead for the rest of the set, not allowing the Lady Knights to come within their lead by more than three points. On the Vulcans' second attempt at game point, Miller moved the Vulcans onto the next round in the NCAA Atlantic Regional with a kill, handing her team a 25-20 win and a 3-0 sweep of the Lady Knights.
The Lady Knights celebrated a successful run this season, winning five of their final seven matches to earn their fifth straight berth in the PSAC Tournament. A 3-1 upset of PSAC West Division champion Clarion on the road in the PSAC Quarterfinals on Nov. 19, earned the team a spot in the semifinals. Beyond the team making its fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament, the Lady Knights also reached the 20-win milestone in the same span.
