Tournament: Tony Banner Memorial Tournament
Location: Tippin Gymnasium – Clarion, Pa.
The Short Story: The Gannon women's volleyball team closed out its time at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament Saturday hosted at the Tippin Gymnasium in Clarion, Pa. The Lady Knights earned a four-set win over Adelphi to compile a 3-0 overall record during the opening-weekend tournament. The Lady Knights captured the win by set scores of 25-23, 21-25, 25-14 and 25-17.
 
Scores: Gannon 3, Adelphi 1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-14 and 25-17)
Records: GU (3-0), AU (0-3)
 
THE BASICS
- Sophomore Hannah Kren (Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) and senior Emily Carver (Stow, Ohio/Theodore Roosevelt) combined for 35 of the Gannon Lady Knights' 63 total kills. Kren registered a team best 19 kills followed by Carver with 16. Carver finished the day with a .519 hitting percentage to go along with one solo block and two block assists. Kren was also efficient, posting a .444 attack percentage with nine digs.
- Reaching double digits in digs were senior Taryn Graham (Huron, Ohio/Huron), sophomore Jordyn Thiery (Cincinnati, Ohio / McAuley) and senior Megan Wendel (Aurora, Ohio/Kenston). After becoming the program's all-time dig leader the day before, Graham collected 19 digs this afternoon. Thiery recorded 11 digs, while Wendel compiled 12 to go along with 46 assists.
- Sophomore Lauren Beck (Chardon, Ohio / Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) finished with a match-best two solo blocks and two block assists to help the Lady Knights own an 8.0-3.0 edge in blocks.
- Graham and Carver were each named to the All-Tony Banner Memorial Tournament Team following their solid performances.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Falling behind 11-10 in the opening set, the Lady Knights' Carver recorded back-to-back kills off Wendel assists to take control. The Panthers were never able to tie the set despite pulling within one point twice. Holding a 24-23 lead, the Lady Knights staved off the Panthers' resurgence by winning the set on a bad offensive set.
- Dropping the second set by the score of 25-21, the Lady Knights could not overcome a .089 hitting percentage. The total was the lowest the team posted in three matches at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament.
- The Lady Knights used a 12-3 run in the final points of the third set to seal a 25-14 win and a lead in the match. During the run, Carver recorded four kills and Kren picked up three kills with the final two points off Adelphi errors.
- Storming out to a 7-2 lead in the fourth set, the Lady Knights used this cushion to prevent the Panthers from gaining any momentum. The Panthers pulled to within two points, 17-15, before the Lady Knights scored seven of the set's final nine points to take a 3-1 victory in the match.  
- The match featured 12 tied scores and six lead changes. The second set saw three lead swaps, the most of the afternoon.
 
QUOTABLES | HEAD COACH MATT DARLING
"It's great to start off the year with some hard-fought wins against good competition.  In today's match, Adelphi played well and forced us to maintain a high level of play. We passed great and our middles were good. Taryn [Graham] and [Emily] Carver were great and deserved their recognition on the all-tournament team.  Megan [Wendel] was not feeling well this weekend, but she played great."
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Gannon will host the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)/Mountain East Conference (MEC) Crossover Sept. 12-13. The Lady Knights return to action in the second match of the day Sept. 12 when the team takes on West Virginia State at 3 p.m. Crossover action begins at 1 p.m.