ERIE, Pa. – Top-seeded Gannon swept California (Pa.) for the third time this season (25-13, 25-9, 25-18) and advanced to the semifinal round of the PSAC Tournament on Tuesday evening inside the Hammermill Center. Gannon nearly doubled Cal U with a 44-25 advantage in total kills during the victory.
Gannon will now face (#2E) Shepherd in the PSAC semifinals on Friday. The match is set for 5 p.m. at East Stroudsburg University. ESU earned hosting rights by being the top PSAC East seed to advance to the semifinal round. In Friday's second semifinal, (#1E) East Stroudsburg will meet (#3W) Clarion at 7:30 p.m. The winners will meet for the PSAC Championship on Saturday at 4 p.m. at East Stroudsburg.
With Tuesday's win, Gannon improved to 27-5 overall and has now won 12 of its last 13 matches.
The Golden Knights got a team- and match-high 13 kills from
Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) in the victory, while
Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) chipped in 10.
Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) finished the match with nine kills and
Sam Deinek (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon East) added seven.
Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute) drove home four kills and had five block assists in the win.
Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) led the GU attack with 34 assists.
"You know, the Ashley(s) and Sampson show up every night. That group of four kids has won a lot of matches, including a lot of playoff matches," said
Matt Darling. Gannon's head volleyball coach. "We are going to ride the experience and talent of that group through tournament play.
"But, also, I think we got some other high-level performances tonight. Sam (Deinek) had a great match for us tonight, and Kenzie (Lasher), Katie (Becht), Kirsten (Leitshuh) and Emma (Hall) are getting balls up and keeping us in rallies," Darling added.
Defensively, Gannon got 16 digs and three assists from
Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell), while
Katie Becht (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) tallied 11.
Kirsten Leitshuh (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West High School) and
Kenzie Lasher (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) also contributed with nine and eight digs, respectively.
In addition to the statistical advantage in kills, Gannon also held advantages in aces (7-2), blocks (6-3) and digs (57-50). Gannon hit .306 in the win with just 10 attack errors.
Jaiden Armitage led Cal on the attack with eight kills and a block assist. Kelly Lynch recorded 16 digs for Cal. The Vulcans hit just .064 and had 18 attack errors in the loss.
The Vulcans wrapped up the season with a 14-12 overall record.
