2017, VB, Ally Smith
Matt Mead Photography LLC
Junior Alexandra Smith was named Daemen Volleyball Classic MVP after recording 37 kills and 24 digs in three matches.
3
Winner Gannon University GAN 2-0
0
St. Rose STR 0-2
Winner
Gannon University GAN
2-0
3
Final
0
St. Rose STR
0-2
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Gannon University GAN 25 25 25 (3)
St. Rose STR 15 17 17 (0)
3
Winner Gannon University GAN 3-0
0
Daemen DAE 1-2
Winner
Gannon University GAN
3-0
3
Final
0
Daemen DAE
1-2
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Gannon University GAN 25 25 25 (3)
Daemen DAE 16 13 20 (0)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

No. 13 Gannon Women's Volleyball Team Completes Perfect Opening Weekend with Pair of Wins; Smith Named Daemen Volleyball Classic MVP

THE RUNDOWN - Gannon vs. St. Rose (N.Y.)
  • Final Score: No. 13 Gannon 3, St. Rose (N.Y.) 0
  • Set Scores: 25-15, 25-17, 25-17
  • Records: Gannon (2-0), St. Rose (N.Y.) (0-2)
  • Location: Amherst, N.Y. - Charles L. & Gloria B. Lumsden Gymnasium
  • The Short Story: The No. 13 Gannon women's volleyball team rolled to a pair of 3-0 sweeps Saturday during the final day of the Daemen Volleyball Classic presented by Millennium Buffalo. The Lady Knights completed a perfect opening weekend with victories against St. Rose (N.Y.) and Daemen. Junior Alexandra Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) was named Classic MVP for her weekend performance.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Gannon started the second day of action on its game, leading the first set from start to finish.
  • The Lady Knights recorded the first three points due to a pair of attack errors and a service ace from junior Toni Leitshuh (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central).
  • After St. Rose got on the board, Gannon ripped off another three points for a 6-1 advantage.
  • The difference reached double digits at 21-11 after another mini 3-0 run late in the set. Sophomore Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) had back-to-back kills, before sophomore Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) added a kill.
  • A kill by junior Alexandra Smith (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) later capped a 25-15 first-set win.
  • The second set started out tight with ties at one, two, three, five and six.
  • Gannon snapped the final deadlock with four straight points. The run consisted of two attack errors, as well as kills from Kerestes and Smith.
  • St. Rose clawed back within 11-10, but the Lady Knights responded with another 4-0 blitz.
  • Gannon put the set away with five consecutive points to assume a 20-12 edge. Sophomore Aubree Lanman (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) produced three of those five points with kills.
  • St. Rose never got closer the rest of the way, before the Lady Knights secured a 25-17 victory.
  • Gannon pulled away in the third set after two early ties. A 6-0 rally turned a 2-2 tie into an 8-2 Lady Knight advantage.
  • St. Rose slowly chipped away at the lead, pulling within 12-10. However, it was never able to get closer.
  • Gannon countered with a kill and back-to-back service aces from freshman Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson).
  • The Lady Knights held a lead between three and eight points the rest of the way, before completing the sweep with a 25-17 third-set win.

GAME NOTES
  • Gannon out-hit St. Rose in every set, finishing with a .224-.059 overall edge.
  • The Lady Knights held advantages in kills (35-28), assists (31-28), service aces (6-2), digs (50-47) and blocks (6-2).
  • The contest featured seven ties, but no lead changes.
  • Twelve Lady Knights saw playing time during the sweep.
  • Smith led Gannon in kills (8) and digs (13).
  • Lanman tied Smith for the team-high in kills with eight. She had a team-best .583 hitting percentage, committing only one error in 12 attempts.
  • Beyers ran the offense with 28 of Gannon's 31 assists.
  • Freshman Kenzie Lasher (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) and Beyer generated eight digs each.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon is ranked No. 13 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Top 25 Poll.
  • The Lady Knights enter the season with only one senior after graduating seven student-athletes from last year's NCAA Division II Final Four team.
  • Gannon won its first two matches for the third consecutive season.
  • Smith reached double digits in digs for the second time in two matches.
  • Gannon started the match with perfection, committing zero errors with 14 kills in 34 attacks during the first set. The result was a .412 hitting percentage.
  • The Lady Knights were picked to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Northeast Division according to the league's preseason coaches poll.
  • Gannon played St. Rose for the first time in program history.
  • The Lady Knights recorded their 21st sweep during the last two years.
  • Saturday's contests were part of a season-opening 13-match road swing. The Lady Knights' home opener is slated for Friday, September 21 against Millersville at the Hammermill Center.

THE RUNDOWN - Gannon vs. Daemen (N.Y.)
  • Final Score: No. 13 Gannon 3, Daemen (N.Y.) 0
  • Set Scores: 25-16, 25-13, 25-20
  • Records: Gannon (3-0), St. Rose (N.Y.) (1-2)
  • Location: Amherst, N.Y. - Charles L. & Gloria B. Lumsden Gymnasium

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Neither team was able to grab a lead larger than three points through the first half of the opening set.
  • Gannon took control with five consecutive points to assume a 15-8 advantage. Sampson, Smith and sophomore Johanna Gregory (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) recorded kills during the blitz.
  • The Lady Knights' lead later reached double digits at 20-10.
  • Daemen wasn't able to get closer than seven points the rest of the way, before Gannon posted a 25-16 win.
  • The Lady Knights snapped a 3-3 tie during the second set with a 13-1 run. Smith had three kills to go along with three team blocks.
  • Moments after a 4-0 mini-run gave Gannon its biggest lead at 24-9. the Lady Knights wrapped up a 25-13 victory.
  • The Lady Knights kick started the third set with three straight points and five of the first six.
  • A 5-0 blitz later pushed Gannon's advantage to 12-4.
  • The Lady Knights maintained a lead between five and eight points until a late Daemen rally cut the deficit to 19-15.
  • The two teams played on a level playing field the rest of the way until Gannon completed the sweep with a 25-20 decision.

GAME NOTES
  • Much like the first match, Gannon out-hit Daemen in every set and finished with a .272-.037 overall edge.
  • The Lady Knights held advantages in kills (40-26), assists (37-23), service aces (4-1), digs (54-43) and blocks (6-4).
  • The contest featured only threes ties and no lead changes.
  • Eleven Lady Knights saw playing time during the sweep.
  • Sampson topped the Gannon offense with a season-high 12 kills, nine digs and a .440 hitting percentage.
  • Smith followed with 11 kills.
  • Beyers recorded 29 assists, seven digs and three service aces.
  • Leitshuh highlighted the defensive unit with 20 digs.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon is ranked No. 13 in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll.
  • The Lady Knights enter the season with only one senior after graduating seven student-athletes from last year's NCAA Division II Final Four team.
  • Gannon won its first three matches for the second time in the last three years.
  • The Lady Knights were picked to win the PSAC Northeast Division according to the league's preseason coaches poll.
  • Gannon improved to 10-1 all-time against Daemen.
  • Leitshuh reached the 20-dig plateau for the seventh time in her career.
  • The Lady Knights recorded their 22nd sweep during the last two years.
  • Saturday's contests were part of a season-opening 13-match road swing. The Lady Knights' home opener is slated for Friday, September 21 against Millersville at the Hammermill Center.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
  • Smith was named MVP of the Daemen Volleyball Classic after recording 37 kills and 24 digs while hitting .232 during three matches.
  • Beyers joined Smith on the all-tournament team with 93 assists, nine service aces, 27 digs and six blocks throughout the weekend.
  • The all-tournament team also included Alexis Thomas (Lake Erie), Hailey Nielsen (Lake Erie), Tirzah Peters (Daemen) and Shayna Webber (St. Rose).

UP NEXT
  • Gannon returns to action next weekend at the Tony Banner Invitational hosted by Clarion University.
  • The Lady Knights open the event Friday, August 31 against Cedarville (9 a.m.) and Concord (7 p.m.).
  • The weekend concludes Saturday, September 1 against Ursuline (11 a.m.) and Ohio Dominican (5 p.m.).
  • Live gameday statistics will be available for all matches at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/clarion.
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