21 VB all-conf

Women's Volleyball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Sampson Named PSAC West Volleyball Athlete of the Year

Four Golden Knights Earn All-PSAC West Honors

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference today announced the 2021 All-PSAC Volleyball Teams, with four Gannon players earning All-PSAC West accolades. That includes Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), who was voted the 2021 PSAC West Athlete of the Year. She was joined on the first team by Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington), while Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) and Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute) were accorded second team honors.      

Gannon improved to 27-5 on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Cal U in a PSAC Quarterfinal match. The top seed in the Western Division, the Golden Knights will face Shepherd, the second seed in the East, in a semifinal match on Friday. East Stroudsburg is hosting the Final Four.

In addition to Sampson's selection as Athlete of the Year, Mercyhurst's Hannah Vuylsteke was named the Defensive Athlete of the Year, Cassidy Snider of Clarion was chosen the Rookie of the Year, and Missy Soboleski of Edinboro was named the Coach of the Year in the Western Division. 

After being named the PSAC Freshman of the Year in 2018, Sampson has now come full circle as the Athlete of the Year. The 5'10" outside hitter is now a three-time All-PSAC honoree, earning first team recognition in 2018 and second team in 2019. The PSAC did not have a 2020 campaign due to the pandemic. She is the third Golden Knight to earn PSAC Athlete of the Year honors. Hannah Kren was chosen in 2016 and Lauren Sazama in 2012. Sampson was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week three times in 2021.   

Sampson leads Gannon with 313 kills despite missing time recently with an injury and playing in 83 of a possible 106 sets. Sampson owns a .249 hitting percentage. She has had 10-or-more kills in 19 matches. In addition, she leads the team with 42 service aces, is fourth in block assists with 44 and tied for fourth in total blocks with 45. She has contributed 143 digs. She ranks second in the PSAC and 38th in Division II in kills per set (3.77) and third in the PSAC and 28th nationally in service aces per set (0.51).

The native of Hilliard, Ohio became the 18th Gannon volleyball player to record 1,000 career kills against D'Youville on Sept. 28, 2021. She has since boosted her career total to 1,179 to climb into 12th place in career kills. She needs 37 more kills to move into 11th in program history past Kelsey Ansec (2014-17).

McClung joined Sampson in the 1,000-kill club this past weekend. A 6'1" right-side hitter, she is also now a three-time All-PSAC honoree. She was a second team selection in 2018 and earned third team honors in 2019.

The senior has played in 93 sets and stands second in kills (271) and third in hitting percentage (.291), the latter figure ranking eighth in the PSAC. In addition, she is third in block assists (45) and total blocks (47). She has contributed double-figure kills in 12 matches, including seven of the last nine. McClung reached 1,000 career kills, becoming the 19th player to reach the plateau. She now has 1,013 career kills.

Beyers was a first team All-PSAC selection in 2018 and 2019 before earning second team recognition as a redshirt senior. The 5'11" setter broke Gannon's career record for assists a week ago and now continues to add to her total. Beyers surpassed the previous career assists mark of 4,244 set by Megan Wendell—which had stood since 2014—by tallying 37 assists in the recent 3-0 sweep of Slippery Rock. Beyers boosted her career total to 4,341 and now has 1,064 assists on the season. She also holds Gannon's season record for assists with 1,411 assists in 2019.

Beyers was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week after setting the career mark, the second time this season and the eighth time in her career she has garnered the honor. While playing in 100 sets, she is second on the team in digs with 311 and tied for fourth in total blocks with 45. Beyers has also contributed 25 service aces. She ranks second in the PSAC and 26th in Division II in assists per set (10.64). She is also 23rd nationally in total assists.

Greenfield, a 5'11" middle blocker, is a first-time All-PSAC honoree. She leads Gannon with 85 block assists and 90 total blocks, ranking tenth in the PSAC in blocks per set (0.93). She has moved into sixth place in GU history with 255 career blocks.

The redshirt junior has also contributed 184 kills in 97 sets, ranking fourth on the team in kills. She ranks second on the team and fifth in the PSAC in hitting percentage at .298. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Ashley Beyers

#5 Ashley Beyers

S
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
Pre-Veterinary Medicine/Biology
Maggie Greenfield

#1 Maggie Greenfield

MB
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Pre-Med/Biology
Ashley McClung

#4 Ashley McClung

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

#8 Lauren Sampson

OH
5' 10"
Senior
Physical Therapy

Players Mentioned

Ashley Beyers

#5 Ashley Beyers

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
Pre-Veterinary Medicine/Biology
S
Maggie Greenfield

#1 Maggie Greenfield

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Pre-Med/Biology
MB
Ashley McClung

#4 Ashley McClung

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

#8 Lauren Sampson

5' 10"
Senior
Physical Therapy
OH