ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon Volleyball team kept pace for the best record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with a 3-0 victory over Mercyhurst on Tuesday (Nov. 7) evening. The Lady Knights downed the Lakers, 25-19, 25-18, 25-10, to move to 24-5 overall and 13-3 in the conference.
The Lady Knights are in a three-way tie with Indiana (Pa.) and Seton Hill for the top seed in the PSAC. Gannon already clinched a spot in the PSAC tournament but is jockeying for the No. 1 seed with two matches remaining. A mathematical point system is the first tiebreaker if any teams remain tied at the end of the regular season. Gannon trails both Indiana (Pa.) and Seton Hill in the tiebreaker formula as of Tuesday..
Gannon jumped out with early momentum and sealed the first set, 25-19, against the Lakers. Set two began with the Lady Knights establishing another early lead at 9-4 and pushing for more. Gannon held a 20-13 lead as Mercyhurst called timeout to make a final push but the Lady Knights took the set, 25-18. GU rolled in the third and final set, owning an 18-10 lead and scoring the final seven points of the match for a 25-10 set victory.
Kelsey Ansec (Solon, Ohio/Solon) continued her hot-hitting with 12 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. It was Ansec's ninth-straight match with at least 12 kills. She leads the team with 285 kills this season and has 1,051 in her career.
Sara Crandall (Cattaraugus, N.Y./Cattaraugus-Little Valley) paced the Lady Knights with 11 digs. Crandall ranks in the top 10 among the PSAC leaders in digs per set, averaging 4.72 this season. She has 481 digs through 102 sets.
Maggie Wilhelm (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and
Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) tied for a team-high three block assists against the Lakers. Gannon ranks as the top blocking team in the conference, averaging 2.5 blocks per set. Gannon freshman
Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) leads the charge averaging 1.33 blocks per set. She issued two block assists against Mercyhurst.
Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) (.435) and
Rebekah Smith (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) (.429) both had hitting percentages over .400 for the Lady Knights on Tuesday.
Mercyhurst dropped to 10-17 overall, 5-11 in the conference.
Gannon returns home for the final regular-season matches of the 2017 campaign. The Lady Knights take on Slippery Rock at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by Edinboro on Saturday at 2 p.m.
