GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Semifinal 1: No. 2-seed Shippensburg (25-6) vs. No. 3-seed Seton Hill – 5:00 PM
Semifinal 2: No. 1-seed Gannon (29-1) vs. No. 5-seed California (Pa.) (20-11) – 7:30 PM
What:Â Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Final Four
When:Â November 9-10, 2018
Where: Erie, Pa. – Hammermill Center
Live Video:Â Click Here
Live Stats:Â Click Here
MATCH INFORMATION
General Admission Tickets:Â $10 for adults | $5 Non-PSAC students (cash only)
All students from PSACÂ schools are admitted free of charge by showing their school ID.
Directions:Â
To Hammermill Center |Â
GPS Address:Â 109 University Square, Erie, PA 16501
Â
PSAC TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
Â
TEAM LINKS
Â
SERIES INFORMATION
- All-Time Series:Â Gannon leads 20-19
- Last Meeting: Oct. 5, 2018 – Gannon 3, California (Pa.) 0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-13) | Box Score
- How It Happened:Â Gannon hit its stride as the match wore on for a 3-0 sweep of visiting California (Pa.) back in early October. Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) led the way with a double-double performance following 15 kills and 15 digs for the Lady Knights while freshman Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) added 11 kills.
Â
GANNON NOTES/STORYLINES
- Gannon finds itself in familiar territory, hosting the PSAC Volleyball Final Four for the third consecutive season. The Lady Knights have advanced to the conference championship game in each of the previous two seasons, claiming the league crown over UPJ in 2016.
- Three of the four teams in the 2018 PSAC Final Four were not in the field last year. The Lady Knights are the only team in the field to earn a spot in the Final Four in the 2017 and 2018 campaigns.
- Gannon is rolling into its PSAC Semifinal matchup with the Vulcans on an 18-match winning streak. The Lady Knights defeated East Stroudsburg in straight sets on Tuesday night.
- With a win, Gannon will have notched 30 or more wins in a season for the third consecutive year.
- Gannon leads the league in hitting percentage (.255), opponent hitting percentage (.102), assists/set (12.98), opponent assists (9.09), kills/set (13.85), opponent kills/set (9.62) and service aces/set (2.40).
- Now in his 12th season at the helm of the Lady Knights, head coach Matt Darling owns a 270-116 (.699) overall record.
- Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) is ninth all-time in school history with 1,801 career assists in just her sophomore season. The Lanark, Ill. native also leads the league with .60 service aces/set in 2018.
- Sampson, McClung and Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) power the Gannon attack and all average over 3.5 points/set this season. All three players have smacked down over 240 kills and boast a kill/set average above 3.00.
- Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) and Lexi Johnson (Chandler, Ariz./Basha) patrol the middle for the Lady Knights. Keretses leads the team in total blocks (88.0) and blocks/set (.97) while Johsnon ranks second on the squad in total blocks (71.0) and blocks/set (.96).
- Toni Leitshuh (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) is 12th in the PSAC with 4.75 digs/set in 2018. She leads the Lady Knights with 461 total digs this fall, while Sampson (273), Smith (244) and Beyers (240) all have more than 200 digs as well.
- Kenzie Lasher (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) and Valeria Torres (Gurabo, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame) have seen an increased role on the service line for the lady Knights as the year has progressed. The freshmen duo has combined for 36 aces this season.
Â
SCOUTING THE VULCANS
- California enters the PSAC Final Four following a thrilling 3-2 road win over UPJ in the PSAC Quarterfinals.
- The Vulcans dropped one spot to sixth in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Rankings.
- Four of California's last six contests have come against teams currently featured in the regional rankings.
- Peter Letourneau is in his eighth season as the coach of the Vulcans. Letourneau made the jump to NCAA DII following stints at Frostburg State and Stevenson, both NCAA DIII institutions in Maryland.
- Rachel Priore leads the charge on the Vulcan attack with 373 kills this season.
Â
UP NEXT
- The winners of the two semifinal matchups on Friday will face each other for the PSAC Championship on Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Hammermill Center.
- The PSAC, Mountain East (MEC) and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Champions will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Five at-large teams will also advance to the Atlantic Region Tournament, beginning Nov. 15-17. Gannon volleyball sits second in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Rankings, one spot behind Wheeling Jesuit out of the MEC.
- The NCAA Division II Tournament Selection Show can be seen live Sunday, November 11 at www.ncaa.com. The show begins at 10:00 p.m. EST. Â
