SCORE: Gannon 3, Shippensburg 1
SET SCORES: 10-25, 25-19, 27-25, 25-22
RECORDS: Gannon 23-10 | Shippensburg 30-9
LOCATION: Alma Grace McDonough Center – Wheeling, W.Va.
THE SHORT STORY: The No. 6 Gannon women's volleyball team staged a comeback all the way back from a 23-16 deficit in the third set, to defeat the no. 3 seed and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Shippensburg 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Thursday afternoon at host and top-seed Wheeling Jesuit.

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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Trailing 5-1 in the first set, Gannon pulled within one, 5-6, after going on a 5-1 run.
• Shippensburg responded scoring six consecutive points, taking a 12-5 lead.
• The Raiders continued to build upon their lead, closing the first set, going on an 8-1 run and easily defeating the Lady Knights 25-10.
• With the second set tied 4-4, Gannon went on a 3-1 run to take a 7-5 lead over the Raiders.
• Serve changed back and fourth as the set tied seven ties before the Lady Knights went on a 6-0 run to close the set, 25-19.
• Behind the run was senior Morgan Walters who recorded back-to-back aces for Gannon.
• Shippensburg jumped out to a 9-2 lead, before the Lady Knights went on a small 4-4 run to pull within seven 13-6.
• The Lady Knights, then recorded three consecutive points, to trail 13-9.
• Gannon called a timeout as they trailed 22-15, and came out of the timeout and scored 11 points including the final two points, two service aces from junior Hannah Kren, as Gannon took the second set 27-25.
• Gannon took a 7-4 lead in the fourth set, before the Raiders responded going on a 5-2 run to tie the match 9-9.
• The Raiders took the lead going after going on two small runs, leading 14-11.
• Gannon eventually took the lead back, 17-17, as Kelsey Ansec and Kayla Knickerbocker recorded kills, and an attack error from Shippensburg.
• Shippensburg tied the set, 18-18, but the Lady Knights responded going on a 3-0 run to take a 21-18 lead.
• The Raiders responded with a 3-0 run of their own to tie the set, 21-21, but Gannon wasn't done yet.
• The Lady Knights went on a 4-1 run to take the set 25-22 and defeated the no. 3 seed Shippensburg.
• Gannon rebounded from hitting only 28 percent in the first set, to hitting a strong 63 percent in the second, 53 percent in the third and 54 percent in the fourth.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• This Gannon's first, first round victory in the NCAA Atlantic Regional since the 2012 season, when the Lady Knights defeated rival Mercyhurst 3-1.
• Morgan Walters now ranks sixth all-time at Gannon for service aces with 176, in the victory she recorded a team-high four, and is three away from breaking into the top-10 at Gannon for service aces in a season (60).
• Kren currently ranks 10th all-time at Gannon for kills with 1250 in her three years at Gannon. Kren also recorded her 19th double-double in the victory over Shippensburg, with 18 kills and 17 digs.

UP NEXT:

• Gannon will face no.7 seed West Chester tomorrow in the second round at 5 p.m. in Wheeling Jesuit.
• West Chester defeated No. 2 seed Pitt-Johnstown on Thursday, 3-1, following the Gannon match.