The Gannon Volleyball team hosted the California Lady Vulcans on Friday (Oct. 14) night at the Hammermill Center, battling hard but falling in four sets, 25-21, 22-25, 20-25, 20-25.
The Lady Knights came out strong in set one. Tied 12-12 with
Sara Crandall (Cattaraugus, N.Y./Cattaraugus-Little Valley) serving, Gannon reeled off seven straight points which included kills from
Lauren Beck (Chardon, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin),
Beka Smith (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) and
Hannah Kren (Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran). That run catapulted Gannon to a 19-12 lead that it held onto, 25-21.
California came back in set two and jumped out to an early 4-0 advantage before Gannon scored its first point on a
Carolyn Knollman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) kill. Gannon hung late, trailing by just two at 22-20 but couldn't close the gap, falling 25-22.
Set three was back and forth until the Lady Vulcans took a tie game at 17 and stretched their lead to 20-17. Gannon called timeout and pulled to within 20-19 but California (Pa.)Â went on a 5-1 run to win the set, 25-20.
The Lady Knights looked to rebound in set four but fell behind and trailed 23-15 late in the set. Gannon wasn't going to give up though, going on a 5-0 run that included two Beck kills. Gannon pulled to within 23-20 but the Lady Vulcans scored the final two points, taking the final set, 25-20.
California (Pa.) climbs to 14-5 overall, 6-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
Gannon falls to 17-3 on the season, 6-2 in the conference.
Knollman recorded a career-high six kills to go along with 39 assists. She is averaging a team-high 10.0 assists per set.
Beck paced the Lady Knights with 13 kills and a service ace.
Sara Crandall (Cattaraugus, N.Y./Cattaraugus-Little Valley) led GU with 27 digs, her second-most in a contest this season.
A webcast replay of the match can be seen in its entirety
Here
The Lady Knights return home on Saturday, Oct. 15, to face the Seton Hill Griffins in another key PSAC contest. The Lady Knights won last year's matchup, 3-1, and hold the all-time series lead, 12-4.
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