ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon Lady Knights are headed to the 2016 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship match. On Friday (Nov. 18) night Gannon avenged a regular-season loss to California (Pa.) by sweeping the Vulcans in three sets, 26-24, 25-19, 25-19.

After Kelsey Ansec (Solon, Ohio /Solon) was named to the conference's First Team on Thursday, she showed just why she was voted as a top hitter in the conference. Ansec crushed 24 kills over three sets, accumulating a .514 hitting percentage in the match. Ansec's 24 kills represented a career-high for the junior outside hitter. Her .304 hitting percentage this season is third-best in the conference.

Up 24-22 in set one, California (Pa.) was looking for the set point but Gannon junior Beka Smith (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) had other ideas. She took a Carolyn Knollman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) set and lined it to the floor to cut the deficit to 24-23. Senior Lauren Beck (Chardon, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) tied the match at 24 with another Gannon kill. The Vulcans then took the Smith serve and went on the attack. Ashley Leto couldn't finish the kill, however, and Gannon went up 25-24. PSAC Athlete of the Year, Hannah Kren (Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) finished off the comeback with a kill that landed right on the back line for a 26-24 victory.

California (Pa.) jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the second set before Gannon went on a 9-0 tear. The string of nine points included kills from Lexi Johnson (Chandler, Ariz./Basha), B. Smith and Ansec. The Vulcans couldn't come back from the deficit and Gannon took the set, 25-19.

Set three saw another Gannon run midway through the set. Tied at six, the Lady Knights went on an 8-2 run that pushed their lead to 14-8. Cal scored three of the next four points to get the score back to 15-11. That was as close as the Vulcans got, though. Gannon completed the three-set sweep with a 25-19 set victory.

The Lady Knights had a .339 hitting percentage as a team, collecting a PSAC-most 54 kills in a three-set match. Gannon also had the fifth highest assists in a three-set match with 49.

The Vulcans hit .208 as a team and had 42 kills in the three sets.

Sara Crandall (Cattaraugus, N.Y./Cattaraugus-Little Valley) led the Lady Knights with 19 digs while Knollman had a team-high 44 assists.

The Lady Knights improve to 29-3 overall. The Vulcans fall to 22-9.

A full webcast replay of the PSAC Semifinal match can be seen HERE.

No. 1-seed, Gannon, will play No. 3-seed Pitt-Johnstown for the PSAC Championship title on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Hammermill Center.

Gannon last captured the PSAC Championship in 2012. This is the second time the Lady Knights have advanced to the PSAC Championship Finals.

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