No. 2 seed GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (28-6) vs. No. 7 seed EAST STROUDSBURG WARRIORS (18-10)
NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional - Quarterfinals
DATE/TIME: Thursday, December 2, 2021 | 2:30 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Alma Grace McDonough Center | Wheeling, W.Va. | PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE

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ATLANTIC REGIONAL SCHEDULE | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Quarterfinals (Thursday, Dec. 2)
12:00 p.m. - #3 Shepherd vs. #6 West Virginia State
2:30 p.m. - #2 GANNON vs. #7 East Stroudsburg
5:00 p.m. - #4 Edinboro vs. #5 Clarion
7:30 p.m. - #1 Wheeling vs. #8 Fayetteville State

Semifinals (Friday, Dec. 3)
5:00 p.m. – 3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner
7:30 p.m. – 4/5 winner vs. 1/8 winner

Regional Final (Saturday, Dec. 4)
7:00 p.m. – Semifinals #1 winner vs. Semifinal #2 winner
 
TICKET INFORMATION | PURCHASE ONLINE
Adults - $10 / per day
Students/Seniors - $5 / per day
Adult (three-day pass) - $25
Student/Senior (three-day pass) - $12
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Gannon will be making its 12-straight NCAA Tournament appearance as the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Regional this week in Wheeling, W.Va. It will be Gannon's 18^th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. During Gannon's recent stretch of 11-consecutive tournament appearances, the Golden Knights have advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight twice, has played in the regional final four times, and has won its first-round match in each of its last five appearances in the tournament. The NCAA Division II women's volleyball tournament was not played in 2020. Gannon played in the AVCA National Championship Tournament last spring and went 2-4 at the event in Dallas, Texas from April 14-17.
 
THE GANNON-EAST STROUDSBURG SERIES
Gannon leads the all-time series 16-3
Last Meeting: Oct. 4, 2019 at East Stroudsburg (Gannon, W, 3-1)
Gannon and East Stroudsburg last met on Oct. 4, 2019 at East Stroudsburg, a match that ended in a 3-1 Golden Knights victory. The Golden Knights have won two-straight against East Stroudsburg, with the Warriors last win in the series coming back on Sept. 14, 2018.
 
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon will return to Wheeling, West Virginia and the Alma Grace McDonough Center to defend its 2019 Atlantic Region Championship this week after earning the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic region field in 2021. Gannon will open tournament play against No. 7 seed East Stroudsburg on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
 
Gannon won a share of the PSAC West Regular Season Championship and advanced to the PSAC Tournament Championship match two weeks ago with wins over Cal (PA) and Shepherd in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Clarion ended Gannon's run for the conference title by knocking off the Knights by a 3-0 final to earn the PSAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Clarion is the No. 5 seed at the Atlantic Regional and will open play against Edinboro in the 4/5 matchup. Gannon's first-round opponent, East Stroudsburg, won the PSAC East regular season crown and hosted the PSAC Tournament Final Four, getting knocked off in the semifinal round by Clarion.
 
In 2019, Gannon was also the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Regional and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight with regional wins over Seton Hill (3-0), Shepherd (3-2) and host Wheeling (3-0). The Golden Knights run at a national championship ended in the national quarterfinals when Nebraska-Kearney knocked off Gannon by a 3-1 final.
 
Gannon also won the Atlantic Regional in 2017, advancing the national semifinals that season before falling to Florida Southern, 3-2.
 
POSTSEASON AWARDS WATCH
AVCA (Read Press Release)
First team All-Atlantic Region - Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington), right-side hitter
First team All-Atlantic Region - Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), outside hitter
Honorable Mention All-Atlantic Region - Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute), middle blocker

D2CCA (Read Press Release)
First team All-Atlantic Region – Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), outside hitter
 
CoSIDA Academic (Read Press Release)
First team Academic All-District 2 – Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland), setter
First team Academic All-District 2 – Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), outside hitter
 
PSAC (Read Press Release)
PSAC West Athlete of the Year – Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), outside hitter
First team All-PSAC West – Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington), right-side hitter
First team All-PSAC West – Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), outside hittter
Second team All-PSAC West – Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland), setter
Second team All-PSAC West – Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute), middle blocker
 
A LOOK AT THE NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS
Gannon ranks in the top 30 in NCAA Division II in the following categories:

• 24^th – Team aces per set (2.04)
• 16^th – Team digs per set (18.73)
• 6^th – Opponent hitting percentage (0.106)
• 16^th – Team total digs (2,098)
• 11^th – Team service aces (229)
• 30^th – Ashley  Beyers – assists per set (10.48)
• 19^th – Lauren  Sampson – points per set (4.51)
• 24^th – Ashley  Beyers – total assists (1,111)

 
MILESTONE WATCH

• With two wins at the Atlantic Regional, Gannon head volleyball coach Matt Darling would reach 350 wins during his career with the Golden Knights.
• Gannon libero Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) has a team-high 451 digs this season for the Golden Knights. With 21 digs at this week's Atlantic Regional, Hall will move into 10^th in program history for single season digs.
• With her 1,111 assists during her senior season, Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) is currently in a tie for the ninth-most assists in a single season at Gannon (w/Carolyn Knollman, 2016). Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) set the single season assists record at Gannon with 1,411 assists as a junior in 2019.
• Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) enters this week with 968 career kills as a member of the Gannon volleyball program. With 32 kills, she would become the third player this season and 20^th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career kills.

 
SAMPSON NAMED PSAC WEST ATHLETE OF THE YEAR; FOUR GOLDEN KNIGHTS EARN ALL-PSAC ACCOLADES
The 2021 All-PSAC volleyball teams were announced on Thursday, Nov. 18, 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. The 2018 PSAC Freshman of the Year, Sampson is the third Golden Knight to earn PSAC Athlete of the Year honors. Hannah Kren was chosen in 2016 and Lauren Sazama in 2012. She is a three-time All-PSAC honoree, as is McClung and Beyers. Greenfield earns the award for the first time.
 
GANNON ENJOYS PLENTY OF SUCCESS WITH DARLING AT THE HELM
The Gannon volleyball program looks very different than it did when Matt Darling arrived as head coach in February of 2007. Darling took over a team that posted single-digit victory totals in consecutive seasons prior to his arrival and engineered a turnaround that includes a run of 12 20-win seasons in the last 13 years, interrupted only by the pandemic a year ago. The shortened season resulted in an 18-4 finish. That 12-year stretch has also included 11 NCAA tournament appearances, plus last year's trip to the AVCA Tournament since the NCAA did not sponsor a championship a year ago. During that period, Gannon made its first-ever NCAA Division II Final Four appearance, reached the Elite Eight twice, made three trips to the Sweet Sixteen, and two PSAC championships, the first-ever conference championships for Gannon in volleyball. Darling currently owns a 348-135 career mark. He became the program's all-time winningest coach with a victory over Shepherd in the NCAA Atlantic Regional on November 15, 2018. He entered the year ranked among the top-25 active winningest coaches at the NCAA Division II level. With two wins at the Atlantic Regional this week, Gannon will reach the 30-win mark for the fifth time under Darling's leadership.
 
BEYERS SETS NEW CAREER ASSISTS STANDARD
Redshirt senior Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) broke Gannon's career record for assists on Friday, Nov. 12 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 4,388 and now has 1,111 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 that honor. Beyers also has 1,137 career digs.

Beyers ranks fifth in NCAA Division II among active players in career assists (4,388), and ranks fourth in career service aces (162) among active players.
 
SAMPSON, MCCLUNG JOIN 1,000-KILL CLUB
Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) became the 18th Gannon volleyball player to record 1,000 career kills against D'Youville on Sept. 28, 2021. The senior outside hitter has recorded double-digit kills 20 times this season. She has boosted her career total to 1,202 to climb into 12th place in career kills. She needs 14 more kills to move into 11th in program history past Kelsey Ansec (2014-17). Senior right-side Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) joined Sampson in the 1,000-kill club on senior day (Nov. 13), becoming the 19th player in Gannon volleyball history to surpass 1,000 career kills. Her total now stands at 1,027 career kills. McClung has reached double-figures in eight of Gannon's last 10 matches. She has recorded double-digit kills in 13 matches this season.
 
KERESTES BREAKS CAREER BLOCKS RECORD (RALLY ERA); GREENFIELD CLIMBS INTO TOP 10
Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) entered the 2021 season with 412 career total blocks, good for second all-time at Gannon. The redshirt senior middle blocker has added 79 blocks to her total this season, boosting her total to 491. That total broke Kara Cullen's previous mark of 463 that was set back in 2011. Kerestes is tied for first in NCAA Division II in active career blocks.

In addition, redshirt junior middle blocker Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute) has moved into sixth place in GU history with 257 career blocks.