ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon Volleyball team was back on the court Saturday afternoon taking on the Clarion Golden Eagles. The Golden Knights used an outstanding team effort to down Clarion, 19-25, 25-17, 25-15, 25-16.
Gannon edged out to an early 8-3 lead on the backs of
Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder),
Kelsey Ansec (Solon, Ohio/Solon) and
Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) kills. Clarion called timeout and followed with four-straight points to close within 8-7. The Golden Eagles tied the set at 10 and took their first lead at 15-14. Gannon bounced back with a kill from Ansec and tied the match at 16. Clarion ended the set on a 9-3 run, taking the set, 25-19.
Set two was back-and-forth until Gannon went on a tear midway through the set. Down 9-8, Gannon began a 9-0 run to go up 17-9. The run included kills from
Rebekah Smith (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili),
Maggie Wilhelm (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and A. Smith. The Lady Knights closed out the set, 25-17.
Gannon scored the first four points of the third set which included an assisted block from R. Smith and Wilhelm. Clarion bounced back and tied the set at nine. Already leading 19-15, Gannon's A. Smith took control and killed four of the final six points in the set. The Lady Knights took the set, 25-15.
Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) began set four where she left off in set three. Smith opened the set with a kill and sparked Gannon into an early 6-3 lead. The Lady Knights began to pull out and took a 16-10 lead before Clarion called timeout. The Golden Eagles couldn't stop the Lady Knights' momentum, however. Gannon finished the set scoring six of the last seven points, winning 25-16.
Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) fell one dig short of her eighth double-double of the season. The sophomore recorded a team-high 18 kills and nine digs.
Toni Leitshuh (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) led the team with 20 digs.
Carolyn Knollman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) (21 assists) and
Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) (16 assists) shared duties at setter.
Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) leads the PSAC in hitting percentage (.400) and blocks per set (1.23) this season. She added one solo block and five block assists against Clarion. Gannon is the top blocking team in the conference averaging 2.57 blocks per set.
The Lady Knights extended their winning streak to five games, all within the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Gannon sits atop the Northwest Division at 15-3, 5-1 in the PSAC. Clarion slipped to 13-6, 4-2 in the conference.
Gannon Volleyball hosts its crosstown rival, Mercyhurst, on Tuesday (Oct. 10) for the first matchup of 2017. Gannon swept the Lakers in 2016 and hold a 41-26 advantage in the all-time series. Tuesday's matchup will begin at 7 p.m.
