Tournament: Tony Banner Memorial Tournament
Location: Tippin Gymnasium – Clarion, Pa.
The Short Story: The Gannon women's volleyball team opened the 2014 season at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament Friday at the Tippin Gymnasium in Clarion, Pa. The Lady Knights swept the Walsh Cavaliers to open the day with set scores of 25-7, 25-12 and 25-14 before defeating Wayne State in four sets with set scores of 26-24, 20-25, 26-24 and 25-16. In the second match against the Warriors, senior Taryn Graham (Huron, Ohio/Huron) recorded her 1445th career dig to become the program's all-time dig leader.


GAME ONE
Scores: Gannon 3, Walsh 0 (25-7, 25-12, 25-14)
Records: GU (1-0), WU (0-1)

THE BASICS
- Senior Emily Carver (Stow, Ohio/Theodore Roosevelt) led the Gannon Lady Knights with 11 kills followed by senior Maggie Desrosiers' (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) seven-kill effort. Carver also contributed two solo blocks and three block assists.
- Senior Megan Wendel (Aurora, Ohio/Kenston) directed the Lady Knights' offense, generating 30 of the team's 36 total assists. Sophomore Hannah Kren (Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) and Graham recorded double digits in digs with 17 and 11, respectively.
- The Lady Knights dominated in the second set before the two teams battled in the third with two lead changes and four tied scores.
- Trailing 4-3 in the third set, the Lady Knights went on a 16-3 run to take control for the win. During the stretch, Carver accounted for four kills while the Cavaliers handed the Lady Knights eight points off errors.
- The Cavaliers struggled at the attack with a -.032 hitting percentage compared to the Lady Knights' .370. GU's best hitting performance came in the second set at a .435.
- At the net, the Lady Knights outblocked the Cavaliers, 7-1, in the match.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Gannon faced Walsh in the opening weekend of the season for the second straight season, earning back-to-back sweeps. 
- For the third consecutive season, the Lady Knights have opened with a win in the season opener.
- In the all-time series, the Lady Knights took a 5-4 lead. 


GAME TWO
Scores: Gannon 3, Wayne State 1 (26-24, 20-25, 26-24, 25-16)
Records: GU (2-0), WSU (0-2)

RECORD BREAKING
- Collecting 15 digs in the Lady Knights' 3-1 over the Warriors, Graham became the program's all-time dig leader with 1445 total digs. The senior passed former Lady Knight Katie Flower (2003-06), who previously held the top spot at 1440.

THE BASICS
- Kren compiled 15 kills to lead the Lady Knights' offense, as sophomore Jordyn Thiery (Cincinnati, Ohio / McAuley) followed with 13 kills. Wendel accumulated a season-best 45 assists. Reaching double digits in digs were Graham (15), Kren (12) and Thiery (11).
- The match featured 33 tied scores and 12 lead changes.
- Trailing Wayne State for most of the opening set, the Lady Knights used a 5-1 run to knot the score at 20-20. Down the stretch, the Lady Knights and Warriors jockeyed for the win. Holding a 25-14 lead following a Warriors' attack error, junior Kayla Knickerbocker (Richland, Mich. / Gull Lake) slammed in a kill setup by Wendel for the 26-24 victory.
- The Warriors tied the match at one each with two sets complete.
- Trailing by two in the third set, 24-22, the Warriors tied the match with a kill and a service ace. Redshirt-freshman Beka Smith (Churchville, N.Y. / Churchville-Chili) handed the Lady Knights a one-point lead before an attack error gave the Lady Knights a 26-24 win and 2-1 lead in the match.
- The fourth and final set came down to the final exchanges, featuring seven lead switches and 11 tied scores. Following the final tied score at 15-15, the Lady Knights dominated with a 10-1 run including four kills by sophomore Lauren Beck (Chardon, Ohio / Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) for the 25-16 win.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Gannon improved to 13-20 against former Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLAIC) foe Wayne State.
- The Lady Knights faced Wayne State for the first time since Sept. 3, 2011 in St. Louis, Mo. The Warriors swept the Lady Knights with set scores of 25-20, 25-16 and 25-18.
- In the win, the Lady Knights snapped a four-game losing streak to the Warriors that dated back to Oct. 26, 2007. This was the first win over WSU since Oct. 27, 2006.

WHAT'S NEXT
Gannon concludes its time at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament Saturday afternoon against Adelphi at 1 p.m.