TAMPA, Fla. – Gannon's run to a national title came to an end on Friday evening in the national semifinals as top-seed and host Tampa used strong defense and recorded 16 blocks in a 3-1 win over the Golden Knights at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center on the campus of the University of Tampa.
Gannon's season comes to an end with a 32-7 overall record, which is tied for the most wins in the
Matt Darling era as the coach of the Golden Knights. The 30-win season is the fifth under Darling and the ninth in the history of the program.
Top-seed Tampa now moves on to tomorrow's national championship match against third-seeded Washburn, who defeated second-seeded Western Washington 3-1 in Friday's first semifinal matchup.
Gannon was led by
Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) with 14 kills, 21 digs and four blocks in the match.
Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute) also reached double-figures with 12 kills to go with five blocks from her middle position. The Golden Knights also got offensive contributions from
Sam Deinek (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon East) with eight kills,
Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) with six, and
Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) with five.
Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) finished the match with 37 assists, 22 digs and a pair of blocks.
Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell),
Katie Becht (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) and
Kenzie Lasher (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) each chipped in 16 digs defensively for the Knights.
The loss will cap the careers of a group of seniors that helped the program to four NCAA Tournaments, three Elite Eights and a pair of Final Fours for redshirt seniors
Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) and
Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran). The senior class also includes
Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute),
Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington),
Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson),
Katie Becht (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster),
Kenzie Lasher (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) and
Valeria Torres (Gurabo, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame). Four of the eight garnered All-America honors during their careers (Beyers, Kerestes, McClung and Sampson) and three finished with over 1,000 career kills (Kerestes, McClung and Sampson). Beyers holds the school record for career assists and Kerestes set a new career blocks record at GU earlier this season. Five of the eight players earned All-PSAC postseason honors during their careers.
Katie McKiel led Tampa with 15 kills in the win, while Taylor Fosler was a force in the middle with 13 kills and five total blocks. Claudia Rivera led the Spartans defensively with 45 digs. Emily Noe passed out a team-high 23 assists.
Despite the 3-1 final deficit, the teams combined for 28 ties and 18 lead changes during the four set match on Friday evening.
