Sampson
Lauren Sampson (courtesy Wheeling Jesuit athletics)
3
Winner Seton Hill SHU 26-8
2
Gannon GAN 31-3
Winner
Seton Hill SHU
26-8
3
Final
2
Gannon GAN
31-3
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Seton Hill SHU 19 22 25 25 15 (3)
Gannon GAN 25 25 23 21 12 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Josh Hill, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon Volleyball Edged by Seton Hill, 3-2, in NCAA Atlantic Region Semifinals (Video)

Match Highlights:


THE RUNDOWN
  • Final Score: #23 (NCAA #2) Gannon 2, (NCAA #3) Seton Hill 3
  • Set Scores: 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 21-25
  • Records: Gannon (32-3), Seton Hill (26-8)
  • Location: Wheeling, W. Va. – McDonough Center (NCAA Tournament)
  • The Short Story: Despite a 2-0 overall lead in the match, the Gannon Lady Knights struggled at the service line in a 3-2 defeat against Seton Hill in the NCAA Atlantic Region Semifinals on Friday night.  
 
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER  
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Gannon roared out of the gate, opening up a quick 6-2 lead over the Griffins in the opening set. Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington), Laura Bebinger (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) all had kills for the Lady Knights in the opening surge. Seton Hill responded with the next three points before eventually taking a 10-9 lead.
  • Lexi Johnson (Chandler, Ariz./Basha) swung the momentum back in favor of the Lady Knights with a kill for a 14-12 lead as the Griffins were forced into a timeout trailing 16-13. After several SHU attack errors and kills from Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) and McClung, Gannon stretched its lead to 23-18. Johnson and Sampson combined for a block and the Lady Knights sealed the opening set with a kill from Sampson for a 25-19 set victory.
  • Gannon kept up its pressure early in the second set, opening up a quick 5-1 lead and forcing a Griffins timeout. Toni Leitshuh (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) opened up the set with an ace and Kerestes, McClung and Smith all followed will kills in the opening run.
  • Bebinger and Sampson picked up kills out of the second set as the Gannon lead ballooned to 9-2, and kills from McClung and Kerestes pushed the Gannon edge to 14-7. SHU responded with a 6-2 run to cut their deficit to just 16-13. The Lady Knights pushed back with three consecutive points of their own, highlighted by a kill and two blocks from Johnson, for a 19-13 cushion.
  • A 4-1 run by Seton Hill kept things close in the second set as Gannon led 20-17. Smith put down a kill to give Gannon a 24-18 lead but the Griffins staved off set point four straight times, cutting the Lady Knights lead to 24-22. Smith eventually dashed the Griffins' hope at any comeback attempt in the second set with a kill for a 25-22 set win for the Lady Knights.
  • Aside from a pair of early 3-0 runs from each side, neither team could seize control of the third set with things tied at 13-13. Kills from McClung and Leitshuh highlighted three of the next four points in the set for the Lady Knights, but once again the Griffins worked their way back, using a 5-1 run to take a 19-17 lead.
  • Sampson handed Gannon a 21-20 lead in the third set but the Griffins ultimately claimed victory in the third set by a 25-23 margin. Two of the Griffins' final four points came on service errors from Gannon.
  • Seton Hill opened the fourth set on a 7-2 run as Gannon called timeout. Back-to-back kills from McClung and Johnson trimmed the Seton Hill lead to 8-5 and a kill from Keretses brought Gannon to within 14-10. A 6-2 run for Gannon put the Lady Knights within striking distance, trailing 15-12. Seton Hill then opened up a 21-13 lead in the fourth set with six of the next seven points. Despite a late push from Gannon, the Griffins held on to tie the match at two with a 25-21 win in the fourth set.
  • Seton Hill continued to ride its wave of momentum to begin the fifth set, opening up a 6-2 lead. Sampson put down two kills to cut the SHU lead to 7-4. That jump-started the Lady Knights, who reeled off four of the next five points to tie the fifth set at eight. The Griffins scored four of the last five points to claim the victory.
 
GAME NOTES
  • Gannon outhit the Griffins by a .310-.095 margin during the first set.
  • Sampson powered the Gannon attack with six kills in the first set of the evening. 
  • Gannon used great balance in its second set attack, with McClung, Sampson, Smith and Kerestes all picking up four kills each.
  • The third set featured 15 ties and eight lead changes.
  • Gannon had 21 service errors in the match.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Leitshuh and Sampson entered the match tied for the Atlantic Region tournament lead in aces with four.
  • Johnson entered the tournament match off a seven-block performance yesterday, the most of any player in the Atlantic Region Tournament on the first day of competition.
  • Prior to Seton Hill, the Lady Knights only defeat came against East Stroudsburg back on September 14. Gannon rebounded in a big way during the rematch with a 3-0 sweep of the Warriors in the PSAC Quarterfinals on November 6.
  • Seton Hill entered the NCAA Atlantic Region Semifinals on a 12-match winning streak.
 
UP NEXT
  • The loss concludes the season for Gannon.
  • Seton Hill will face the winner of Clarion/Wheeling Jesuit tomorrow night in the Atlantic Region Finals.
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Players Mentioned

Laura Bebinger

#6 Laura Bebinger

OH
6' 1"
Sophomore
Physician Assistant
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
Ashley McClung

#4 Ashley McClung

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

#8 Lauren Sampson

OH
5' 10"
Freshman
Physical Therapy

Players Mentioned

Laura Bebinger

#6 Laura Bebinger

6' 1"
Sophomore
Physician Assistant
OH
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
Ashley McClung

#4 Ashley McClung

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

#8 Lauren Sampson

5' 10"
Freshman
Physical Therapy
OH