ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon Volleyball team returned to the Hammermill Center on Friday night (Oct. 6) hosting the Indiana (Pa.) Cimson Hawks in a wild Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest. The Lady Knights battled back in the fifth set from a 9-1 deficit to hand IUP its first conference loss of the season. Gannon downed the Crimson Hawks, 21-25, 25-16, 26-24, 19-25, 15-13. A webcast replay and video highlights are available for the match.

It was a battle of two first-place teams as Indiana (Pa.) began the night as leaders of the PSAC Southwest Division while the Lady Knights were atop the Northwest Division.

Set one was a back-and-forth affair. Gannon jumped out to a three-point edge, 9-6, on a block from Maggie Wilhelm (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and Anne-Mari Kaur (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn Lillekula Upper Secondary School). IUP swung back to take a lead by scoring eight of the next 12 points, going up 14-13. Kelsey Ansec (Solon, Ohio/Solon) stopped the IUP run with a kill and started a 6-1 run for the Lady Knights. Gannon reclaimed a 19-15 lead. Indiana (Pa.) made the final run, however. The Crimson Hawks rattled off a 10-2 set-ending run to claim a 25-21 set victory.

Gannon bounced back with a victory in set two. The Lady Knights inched out to a four-point lead at 13-9 on a Rebekah Smith (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) kill. The Lady Knights maintained the four-point lead, 19-15, until a 6-1 run by GU closed out the set with a 25-16 victory.

The Lady Knights trailed 22-20 late in set three before a home rally closed out the set. The two teams exchanged two points before back-to-back attack errors by IUP had the match tied at 24. Another Crimson Hawk attack error from Sami Brown gave Gannon a one-point lead and an Elora Pittman attack error sealed a 26-24 victory for Gannon.

IUP was on a roll early in set four. The Crimson Hawks began with a 7-1 lead before Gannon got its traction. The Lady Knights closed the gap to one point at 14-13 and again at 17-16 but couldn't get over the hump. The Lady Knights fell, 25-19.

The fifth and final set looked bleak for the Lady Knights early on. The Crimson Hawks had all the momentum and cruised out to a 9-1 lead in the 15-point set. An Elly Burns service error snapped the IUP run and had Gannon on the comeback trail. Kills from Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) and Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) helped propel the Lady Knights back to trailing by just three points at 9-6 before a Crimson Hawk timeout. Another A. Smith kill and a Gabby Egler attack error forced Indiana (Pa.) into another timeout. Two more attack errors from the Crimson Hawks gave Gannon a 10-9 lead. IUP responded with three-straight points to reclaim a 12-10 lead. The Lady Knights weren't done, however. Gannon tied the match at 12 on back-to-back kills from A. Smith and Kaur. IUP came back with a single point before Gannon closed out the set with three-straight kills from Kaur, Wilhelm and Kerestes to win the set, 15-13.

Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) recorded her sixth consecutive and seventh double-double of the season (14 kills and 17 digs). Toni Leitshuh (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) led the Lady Knights with 20 digs. Carolyn Knollman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) issued a team-high 23 assists.

Gannon recorded 14 blocks in the match, adding to their season total of 155 blocks. The Lady Knights lead the PSAC in total blocks and rank 16^th nationally in that category.
The Lady Knights improved to 14-3, 4-1 in the PSAC. Indiana (Pa.) dropped to 13-5, 4-1 in the conference.

Gannon returns to the Hammermill Center on Saturday for a clash with Clarion. The Golden Eagles go into the contest at 13-5, 4-1 in the PSAC. The match will begin at 2 p.m.