THE RUNDOWN
- Records: Gannon (2-0), Georgian Court (0-2)
- Location: GCU Wellness Center | Lakewood, N.J.
- The Short Story: Gannon opened the 2021 spring season sweeping Georgian Court on the road on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Knights blanked the Lions in the opening match, 3-0, (25-20, 25-23, 25-20) before taking the second match, 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-21).
GAME DAY MEDIA CENTER
QUOTABLE
- "It sure felt great to be back on the court today," said Head coach Matt Darling. "We are happy to be able to play two matches against a solid opponent, who won 30 matches last year and knew how to put the pressure on us. I'm pleased with the performance overall, and I'm thrilled with the efforts of the many individuals who were making their first college start. I think we can build on today's play, and we'll look forward to hopefully getting another chance to play soon."
Match One:
Final Score: Gannon 3, Georgian Court 0
Set Scores: 25-20, 25-23, 25-20
Box Score:
Click Here
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Gannon opened the first frame establishing a four-point edge, 7-3, after Madde Blake (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) connected on a kill. The Lions quickly came back to steal their first lead of the match, 17-15, and force a Gannon timeout. Laura Bebinger (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) responded for the Knights with back-to-back kills to lock the set, 17-17. Gannon went on to close the frame on an 8-3 run to win the set, 25-20.
- Both teams exchanged points in the second stanza to deadlock the score at 6-6. The Lions then rattled off four unanswered points to build a 10-6 advantage. Georgian Court kept its foot on the gas increasing their edge up to eight, 20-12, following a kill from Talia Gonzalez. The Knights then came alive with eight straight points of their own capped off by a Bebinger kill to tie the frame, 20-20. Gannon then stole momentum with a 5-3 run finished off by a Sophia Glabus (Elmhurst, Ill./York) kill to secure the 25-23 win.
- Gannon sprinted out a 7-3 lead in the third frame to force a Georgian Court timeout. The Lions slowly chipped away at the deficit to steal the lead, 20-19, following a block from Nahomie Alejandro Ne and Talia Gonzalez. Gannon retaliated with a 5-0 run sealed by a Bebinger kill to win the frame, 25-20, and the match, 3-0.
GAME NOTES
- As a team, Gannon tallied 41 digs, 34 kills and 31 assists.
- Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) paced the Knights with a match-best eight kills with nine digs.
- Bebinger contributed seven kills with one dig and one assist.
- Kaeli Kristensen (Calgary, Alberta/Dr. E.P. Scarlett) passed out a match-best 14 assists in her Gannon debut.
- Abby Kane (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) led the Knights on the defensive end with a team-high 14 digs. She also added three assists to her stat line.
Match Two:
Final Score: Gannon 3, Georgian Court 1
Set Scores: 21-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-21
Box Score:
Click Here
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Lions battled back in the first set opening up a 9-6 edge. Georgian Court continued to stay a rhythm offensively increasing its advantage to 17-12 to a force a Gannon timeout. Gannon battled back to pull within three, 24-21, after a Sampon service ace, but couldn't complete comeback falling in the opening frame, 25-21.
- The Knights pushed back in the second set establishing an 11-8 edge after Sampson connected on a kill. Gannon then took control building a nine-point lead, 20-11, after a ball handling error. The Knights went on to steal the second stanza, 25-16, and lock the match, 1-1.
- Gannon began to take control in the third frame sprinting out to a 10-1 advantage after Madde Blake (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) delivered a kill. The Knights didn't let up creating a double digit edge, 21-11, after Kristensen found Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) for a kill. Gannon won the third set, 25-15, and took a 2-1 lead in the match.
- The Knights started fast once again in the fourth frame capitalizing on a service error to open up a 9-6 edge. The Lions battled back to tie the contest, 20-20, late in the frame after a service error. Gannon quickly answered with back-to-back points from McClung, 22-20, to force a Georgian Court timeout. The Knights closed the frame on a clutch 3-1 run highlighted by a match-winning kill from Kristin Schorr (Evansville, Ind./North Posey) to win the frame, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
GAME NOTES
- Following the wins, Gannon opens the season with a 2-0 overall record.
- As a team, Gannon notched 60 digs, 49 kills and 46 assists.
- McClung posted a double-double with a team-high 13 kills and team-best 22 assists to go along with four digs.
- Sampson also reached double figures in kills with 11. She contributed nine digs on the defensive end.
- Kane logged her second straight match in double figures in digs with a career-high 20.
- Schorr just missed a double-double with 10 digs and eight kills.
UP NEXT
- Gannon returns to action on Friday at Salem. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m.
Stay up to date with the latest additions to the Gannon Athletics schedule all season at the Schedule Update Page.
All athletic events will follow guidance from Gannon University's Return To Campus Plan, Gannon Athletics' Return To Play Plan, the NCAA's Resocialization of Collegiate Sport, and all state and local government regulations.
