ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – The Gannon University women's volleyball team pushed No. 4-ranked Nebraska-Kearney to the limit on Saturday afternoon before eventually losing game five, 16-14, to snap the Golden Knights' 28-game regular season winning streak.

Gannon took match leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but were met with plenty of resistance from the Lopers of Nebraska-Kearney, the NCAA East Regional champions and NCAA Division II Tournament runners-up in 2019. Powered by freshman outside hitter CeCe Beahm (a match-high 24 kills), the team fought back each time the Golden Knights seemed to grab momentum.

Earlier in the day the Golden Knights earned a third-straight victory to begin the 2021 season over Molloy College (25-19, 25-11, 25-11), the hosts of this weekend's tournament. Senior Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) combined for 22 total kills between both matches, including a team-high 16 against Nebraska-Kearney that was just four away from her career-high of 20 that she set as a freshman in a match against Seton Hill on Oct. 6, 2018.

Next on the schedule for Gannon is a trip to Clarion University beginning on Friday, Sept. 10 for another four-game tournament. The Golden Knights begin with Lock Haven (9 a.m.) and Tiffin (3 p.m.) on Friday and face Northwood (11 a.m.) and Salem (5 p.m.) on Saturday.

GANNON 3, MOLLOY 0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-11)

A balanced offensive attack from the trio of Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute), Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran), and Ashley McClung (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) propelled the Golden Knights to the three-game sweep of Molloy. Greenfield logged a team-high seven kills with a .462 hitting percentage, while Kerestes and McClung each pitched in with six kills apiece. Senior Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) continued to perform at a high level, earning team-highs in block assists (three), assists (31), and digs (11). Katie Becht (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) tallied a team-high four service aces, contributing to Gannon's 11-to-one margin over Molloy in that category after all three games. The 25-11 game two win was a statistical high point for the Golden Knights as a team, as they committed zero errors and finished with a collective .519 hitting percentage.

GANNON 2, #4 NEBRASKA-KEARNEY 3 (25-18, 12-25, 25-20, 14-25, 14-16)
 
Gannon's veteran pair of senior hitters Ashley Kerestes (Loves Park, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) and Lauren Sampson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) both supported Ashley McClung's (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) 16-kill effort with 11 of their own. McClung hit .324 for the match while Ashley Beyers (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) collected a season-high 51 assists. Freshman Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) chipped in with a stellar all-around performance, with team-highs in digs (28) and service aces (two), along with three assists. Kerestes led the Golden Knights in block assists (five), while Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute) contributed with three block assists and nine kills. Gannon boasted a 12-8 kill advantage in game five but committed five errors to Nebraska-Kearney's one.