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Women's Volleyball Josh Hill, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

PREVIEW: #23 Gannon Squares Off With Shepherd in NCAA Tournament First Round on Thursday in Wheeling (Video)

 GAMEDAY CENTRAL – Gannon vs. Shepherd (NCAA Atlantic Region First Round)
 Game Details  Thursday, November 15 | 2:30 PM
 Game Coverage  Live Video – Click Here
 Live Stats – Click Here
 Twitter Updates - @GUKnights
 Tournament   Coverage  Atlantic Region Web Headquarters – Click Here
 Digital Tournament Program – Click Here
 Interactive Bracket – Click Here
 Gannon Links  Roster | Schedule | Stats
 Shepherd Links  Roster | Schedule | Stats
 
MATCH INFORMATION:
  • General Tickets: Adults ($10) | Students/Senior Citizens ($5) | Three-Day Pass ($25)
  • Directions: To McDonough Center | GPS Address: 316 Washington Ave, Wheeling, WV 26003
  • Programs: General game programs will not be sold at the regional tournament. Fans can access a digital program for the tournament by clicking here.
  • Gannon Student Shuttle/Tickets: SGA will be sponsoring transportation and paying for student tickets to the women's volleyball Regional Tournament games Thursday, November 15 – Saturday, November 17 at Wheeling Jesuit University, for all games in which Gannon will be playing.  To register for the game shuttles, please go to the Campus Ministry EngageU page or follow the links below.  Transportation and game tickets will be covered by SGA, but please bring money if you desire to eat on the trip.
 
ATLANTIC REGION FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE:
  • #3 Seton Hill vs. #6 California (Pa.) – 1:30 PM | Live Stats | Live Video
  • #2 Gannon vs. #7 Shepherd – 2:30 PM | Live links posted above
  • #4 Shippensburg vs. #5 Clarion – 5:30 PM | Live Stats | Live Video  
  • #1 Wheeling Jesuit vs. #8 Shaw – 7:30 PM | Live Stats | Live Video
    • Note: Numbers represent seed in Atlantic Region.  
 
OTHER LINKS  
SERIES INFORMATION
  • All-Time Series: Gannon leads 3-1
 
GANNON STORYLINES/NOTES:
  • Gannon looks to rebound from just its second loss of the 2018 season on Thursday. The match will mark the tenth straight season that Gannon has advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
  • The Lady Knights return several key players from last year's squad that reached the NCAA Final Four. Gannon defeated Wheeling Jesuit in the Atlantic Region Finals in 2017 and went on to upset No. 2 seed Regis to reach its first national semifinals in program history.
  • Now in his 12th season at the helm of the Lady Knights, head coach Matt Darling owns a 271-117 (.698) overall record. Darling earned his fourth PSAC Coach of the Year award of his career this season.
  • Gannon was beaten in the PSAC Championship game for the second straight season in five sets.
  • With a 3-0 sweep over California (Pa.) in the PSAC Semifinals, Gannon secured its third straight season with 30 or more victories.
  • Gannon is among the national leaders in several stat categories, ranking second in aces/set (2.37), third in opponent hitting percentage (.104) and fourth in team service aces (254).
  • The Lady Knights offensive attack features three players averaging over 3.00 kill/set. Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) leads the way for Gannon with 3.26 kill/set and 277 kills, while Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) has notched 3.24 kill/set on 314 total kills. Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) boasts a 3.03 kills/set average on 273 total putdowns.
  • Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) has been the Lady Knights' primary setter all season long and the numbers back it up. She has handed out over 1,000 assists this season while also notching 58 aces in 2018. She ranks fourth nationally in aces/set (.58) and seventh in aces (58). Overall, Beyers ranks ninth all-time in school history with 1,836 assists as a sophomore and is just outside the top ten in school history for most assists in a single season.
  • Lexi Johnson (Chandler, Ariz./Basha) and Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) both average nearly 1.00 blocks/set. The Lady Knights rank third in the PSAC in total team blocks (232.0) while Johnson has also added a .312 hitting percentage with 127 kills.
  • Toni Leitshuh (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) is just three digs away from 500 on the season, averaging 4.73 digs/set. She has added 44 service aces serving primarily as the libero in 2018. Leitshuh is just outside the top 10 on the all-time digs list in school history with 1,163 digs in her career.  
  • The Lady Knights have used the entire lineup throughout the season and the duo of Valeria Torres (Gurabo, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame) and Kenzie Lasher (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) have found their role at the service line. The duo has combined for 37 total aces this season.
  • Lydia Lukomski (Portville, N.Y./Portville Central) was tabbed the PSAC Volleyball Champion Scholar for the second consecutive season in the conference tournament last week. Lukomski owns a 4.0 GPA, majoring in pre-med/chemistry.
 
SCOUTNG SHEPHERD:
  • Shepherd is making its debut in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon.
  • The Rams enter the match with a 23-10 overall record after falling to Charleston in the MEC Semifinals.
  • The Rams announced they will be joining the PSAC last fall, replacing the void in the conference left by the departure of Cheyney.
  • Peyton Lindblad (428 kills, 3.69 kills/set) and Cambriea Hill (347 kills, 3.13 kills/set) power the Shepherd attack. Lindblad was the first Ram since 2014 to be named to the 2018 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Volleyball All-Atlantic Region Team.
  • Becca Kern has dished out over 1,000 assists for the Rams while Imani Major averages over 5.00 digs/set.
 
UP NEXT:
  • The winner of the SHU/CAL match will move on to play the winner of GAN/SU on Friday, November 16 at 5:00 PM.
  • Postgame press conferences for all teams will be made available, courtesy of Wheeling Jesuit, after the conclusion of regional tournament action.
  • The Atlantic Region champion moves on to the Elite Eight Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh.
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Players Mentioned

Ashley Beyers

#5 Ashley Beyers

S
5' 11"
Sophomore
Pre-Veterinary Medicine/Biology
Lexi Johnson

#17 Lexi Johnson

MB
5' 11"
Senior
Nursing
Ashley Kerestes

#22 Ashley Kerestes

MB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Physician Assistant/Nursing
Toni Leitshuh

#18 Toni Leitshuh

OH
5' 9"
Junior
Biology
Lydia Lukomski

#9 Lydia Lukomski

OH/DS
5' 8"
Junior
Pre-Medicine
Ally Smith

#11 Ally Smith

OH
5' 9"
Junior
Early Childhood Education
Kenzie Lasher

#10 Kenzie Lasher

OH/DS
5' 7"
Freshman
Mechanical Engineering
Ashley McClung

#4 Ashley McClung

S/RS
6' 1"
Freshman
Environmental Engineering
Lauren Sampson

#8 Lauren Sampson

OH
5' 10"
Freshman
Physical Therapy
Valeria Torres

#21 Valeria Torres

S/DS
5' 7"
Freshman
Pre-Veterinary

Players Mentioned

Ashley Beyers

#5 Ashley Beyers

5' 11"
Sophomore
Pre-Veterinary Medicine/Biology
S
Lexi Johnson

#17 Lexi Johnson

5' 11"
Senior
Nursing
MB
Ashley Kerestes

#22 Ashley Kerestes

6' 0"
Sophomore
Physician Assistant/Nursing
MB
Toni Leitshuh

#18 Toni Leitshuh

5' 9"
Junior
Biology
OH
Lydia Lukomski

#9 Lydia Lukomski

5' 8"
Junior
Pre-Medicine
OH/DS
Ally Smith

#11 Ally Smith

5' 9"
Junior
Early Childhood Education
OH
Kenzie Lasher

#10 Kenzie Lasher

5' 7"
Freshman
Mechanical Engineering
OH/DS
Ashley McClung

#4 Ashley McClung

6' 1"
Freshman
Environmental Engineering
S/RS
Lauren Sampson

#8 Lauren Sampson

5' 10"
Freshman
Physical Therapy
OH
Valeria Torres

#21 Valeria Torres

5' 7"
Freshman
Pre-Veterinary
S/DS