ERIE, Pa. – Gannon volleyball made quick work of Seton Hill during its 2021 home opener on Saturday afternoon at the Hammermill Center during Homecoming weekend. Sam Deinek (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon East) recorded a team-high nine kills and also tallied three block assists to lead the Golden Knights in the victory.
 
"It felt great to be back in front of the home crowd today on Homecoming, and we performed well on the court," said GU head volleyball coach Matt Darling. "Seton Hill creates some problems with their block, but we managed to put together an effective attack while taking advantage of some mistakes as well. I thought Sam did a great job today, and Emma, Kenzie, and Katie were high effort on the defensive side."
 
Gannon is now 12-2 overall and 2-0 in PSAC West play during the 2021 season. Gannon has recorded sweeps in 11 of 14 matches this season. Seton Hill is now 6-5 overall and 1-1 in league play.
 
Deinek drove home her nine kills on 25 total attacks and did not record an error during the victory. She had a .360 attacking percentage on the afternoon. Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) also chipped in eight kills, four service aces and two block assists during the match. Sampson is now three kills away from becoming the 18th player in Gannon volleyball history to record 1,000 career kills. Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute), Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) and Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) each chipped in four kills apiece for the Golden Knights.
 
Greenfield (6 blocks), Kerestes (5) and McClung (4) also contributed around the net for Gannon. The Golden Knights finished the match with 11 total blocks as a team.
 
Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) led Gannon defensively with 17 digs. Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) passed out 26 assists as she guided the GU attack.
 
As a team, Gannon hit .240 with 35 kills and just 10 total digs. On the other side of the box score, Seton Hill had a negative hitting percentage with 21 kills and 28 attack errors. The Golden Knights also held statistical advantages in blocks (11-6) and aces (8-3).
 
Mara Yahner recorded a team-high four kills for the Griffins. Four other players drive home three kills during the match. Carrie Leazer finished the afternoon with a match-high 23 digs.
 
Gannon will return to action on Tuesday evening with a nonconference match against D'Youville College inside the Hammermill Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m.