ERIE, Pa. - Not every win has looked the same for Gannon Head Coach
Matt Darling, but they all count the same.
On Saturday, Oct. 29, Darling guided the Lady Knights to a 3-0 sweep over Kutztown. With the win, he notched his 200
th victory at the helm of the Lady Knights.
Darling began his career at Gannon in 2007 and has led the Lady Knights to eight consecutive 20-win seasons. Gannon has also made the NCAA tournament in each of its last seven seasons. In 2015, Gannon made a run to the Sweet Sixteen and finished with a 24-11 record. Darling is 200-107 in his 10 seasons at Gannon.
On Saturday, Gannon beat Kutztown in three-straight sets, 25-19, 25-17, 25-20.
Kutztown began set one with a little momentum. KU held a 9-5 advantage before a
Beka Smith (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) kill turned the tide. Additional kills by
Kelsey Ansec (Solon, Ohio /Solon),
Anne-Mari Kaur (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn Lillekula Upper Secondary School) and
Carolyn Knollman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) gave the Lady Knights the lead. Up 19-18, Gannon finished the set on a 6-1 run, winning, 25-19.
Kutztown hung with Gannon through the midway point of set two. Already up 18-16, Gannon pulled away with a 7-1 run to finish the set, 25-17.
Gannon finished the match in set three with a
Jordyn Thiery (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) kill followed by block assists from
Beka Smith (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) and
Lexi Johnson (Chandler, Ariz./Basha). Gannon took set three, 25-20, also winning the match.
Kelsey Ansec (Solon, Ohio /Solon) led the Lady Knights with 18 kills.
Sara Crandall (Cattaraugus, N.Y./Cattaraugus-Little Valley) pitched in a team-high 24 digs, three assists, and two service aces.
Gannon improved to 22-3 overall, 11-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
Kutztown dropped to 5-19, 2-11 in the conference.
Gannon will be back at home on Nov. 4, taking on Cheyney in PSAC matchup. The Wolves stand with a record of 3-19, 0-13 in the PSAC.
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