Smith 1040x580 110218
Matt Mead Photography LLC
Ally Smith was one of four players with double-figure kills for the Lady Knights
3
Winner Gannon GAN 27-1 (16-1 PSAC)
1
Slippery Rock ROCK 10-16 (7-10 PSAC)
Winner
Gannon GAN
27-1 (16-1 PSAC)
3
Final
1
Slippery Rock ROCK
10-16 (7-10 PSAC)
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Gannon GAN 23 25 25 25 (3)
Slippery Rock ROCK 25 20 16 16 (1)

Next Match:

at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

11/3/2018 | 6:00 PM

Next Match

Full Schedule
Nov. 03 (Sat) / 6:00 PM
at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

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

Sweet 16: Well-Balanced Lady Knights Handle Slippery Rock Friday Night; Clinches Top Seed in PSAC Tournament

THE RUNDOWN
  • Final Score: #20 Gannon 3, Slippery Rock 1
  • Set Scores: 23-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-16
  • Records: Gannon (27-1, 16-1 PSAC) | Slippery Rock (10-16, 7-10 PSAC)
  • Location: Slippery Rock, Pa. – Morrow Field House
  • The Short Story: 20th-ranked Gannon women's volleyball had four players with double-figure kills and cracked 10 service aces to earn its 16th consecutive win with a hard-fought 3-1 road victory over Slippery Rock in its penultimate regular season contest. The win secured the top seed in the upcoming PSAC Tournament.
 
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER  
HEAD COACH MATT DARLING POSTGAME REACTION
  • "This was a good team win tonight against a Slippery Rock team that was really playing hard and well in the early stages of the match. We were never able to get into a good rhythm because they kept us off balance. But I'm proud of our team for gutting it out for a win."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Slippery Rock opened up a 5-2 lead in the first set.
  • A kill from Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) brought the Lady Knights to within one at 6-5 and Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) eventually handed Gannon a 7-6 lead with a first set kill.
  • Neither team could gain much traction, going back and forth, as a kill from Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) tied the first set at 13. Slippery Rock opened up a four-point lead in the first set, going up 20-16, before the Lady Knights responded with a kill from Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) that cut the SRU lead to 21-20.
  • The Rock held steady and maintained the lead for the rest of the set and emerged with a 25-23 set one victory.
  • Gannon took an early 5-2 lead in the second set with McClung smacking three kills in the opening moments.
  • Kerestes put down a kill from Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) to push the Gannon lead to 8-5 in the second set. Following a brief Slippery Rock run, Lexi Johnson (Chandler, Ariz./Basha) put Gannon up 10-9 and consecutive kills from Kerestes and Smith propelled Gannon to a 13-10 edge in the second set.
  • Valeria Torres (Gurabo, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame) smacked a service ace to put Gannon up 15-11 and Kenzie Lasher (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) followed suit with an ace to give the Lady Knights an 18-13 lead in the second set. Beyers, who leads the conference in aces/set, put down another ace for the Lady Knights for a 20-14 second set advantage.
  • The Lady Knights scored four of the final five points in the second set for a 25-20 set victory that tied the match at one.
  • A service ace from Toni Leitshuh (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) helped the Lady Knights double up SRU, 6-3, to begin the third set.
  • Sampson notched a kill to help the Lady Knights take a 10-6 lead and recorded another kill moments later as Gannon took a 14-7 third set lead. Johnson eventually capped an 8-1 flurry with a kill to put Gannon ahead 17-7. Aubree Lanman (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) stopped a short SRU run with a kill to hand the Lady Knights a 19-15 advantage in the third set.
  • Leitshuh recorded another ace to put Gannon up 22-15, part of a 4-1 run for the Lady Knights to close the third set. Gannon took a 2-1 match lead with its 25-16 set three victory.
  • A kill from Smith put Gannon up 5-3 in the match-clinching fourth set. A quick 5-1 spurt for the Lady Knights provided a 12-8 edge in the fourth set.
  • Sampson pushed the Gannon lead to 15-12 with a kill and Leitshuh expanded the lead to 18-13 with an ace.
  • The Lady Knights used a 4-1 run to close the fourth set for a 25-16 victory.
 
GAME NOTES
  • Smith led the way with a game-high 17 kills. McClung produced 13 kills, while Kerestes had 12 and Sampson had 10.
  • Gannon assisted on 55 of its 58 kills on the night. Beyers paced the Lady Knights with a game-high 47 assists.
  • Leitshuh had 26 digs and four aces. She was one of three players, along with Smith (21) and Sampson (17) to have double-digit digs.
  • The match featured 19 ties and nine lead changes, but 10 ties and five lead changes occurred during the first set.
  • Slippery Rock held a slight 16-14 edge in kills in the first set.
  • The stats were virtually identical through the first set, but Slippery Rock outhit the Lady Knights by a .213 to .200 margin.
  • The Lady Knights rebounded for a more efficient offensive attack in the second set with a .308 hitting percentage. The Lady Knights put down 17 kills while SRU had just nine in the second set.
  • Gannon took control of the third set with a 13-5 advantage in kills while also holding SRU -.051 hitting percentage as a team. Each team had 39 total attacks in the third set.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • In addition to clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the conference tournament, the Lady Knights sit atop the most recent NCAA Atlantic Region rankings. The top eight teams in those rankings advance to the NCAA Tournament with the winners of the PSAC/MEC/CIAA earning automatic bids.
  • The Lady Knights swept the Rock at home on Oct. 13, and have won 20 consecutive matches against SRU. Gannon leads the all-time series with Slippery Rock 36-10.
  • Smith registered her second highest output of kills in a match this season with 17. She put down 18 kills in the Lady Knights' season-opener on August 31 against Lake Erie.
  • Samspon returned to the lineup for the first time in two matches. She recorded double-figure kills in 11 of the last 12 matches she has appeared in.
  • Beyers tied a season-high output with 47 assists tonight, set previously on October 6 against Seton Hill.
  • McClung has recorded 10+ kills in three straight matches.
  • Gannon has notched 10 or more service aces in eight different matches this season.
  • The field has been set for the upcoming PSAC Women's Volleyball tournament, but seeding has not been finalized.
  • Gannon improves to 8-1 in road matches this season.
 
UP NEXT
  • Gannon wraps up regular season play with a road match against Edinboro at 6:00 p.m.
  • Live video and live audio will be available from McComb Field House.
  • The Lady Knights defeated Edinboro, 3-1, earlier this season on October 12 and boast a 33-27 lead in the all-time series with the Fighting Scots.  
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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
Aubree Lanman

#2 Aubree Lanman

MB
6' 2"
Sophomore
Communication Arts
Toni Leitshuh

#18 Toni Leitshuh

OH
5' 9"
Junior
Biology
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
Aubree Lanman

#2 Aubree Lanman

6' 2"
Sophomore
Communication Arts
MB
Toni Leitshuh

#18 Toni Leitshuh

5' 9"
Junior
Biology
OH
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