The Gannon women's volleyball team will aim to move closer to a PSAC Tournament playoff berth this weekend when it meets two Erie County rivals at Highmark Events Center.
The Golden Knights will host Mercyhurst on Friday at 7 p.m. and then welcome Edinboro on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Coach
Matt Darling's Knights (16-5 overall) enter the weekend in second place in the PSAC West with a 9-1 conference record. If Gannon could win twice this weekend, it would clinch a PSAC Tournament berth.
The top four teams in each PSAC division advance to the postseason, and Gannon has a five-match lead over the three fifth-place teams with six matches to play.
Mercyhurst enters Friday's match with a 3-17 overall record and a 1-10 PSAC West mark, which puts the Lakers in ninth place in the nine-team Western Division.
Edinboro is in third place in the PSAC West with a 7-4 record and brings in a 17-6 overall record. In addition to moving the Golden Knights closer to a playoff berth, a win over the Fighting Scots could help Gannon make a push for the first regional rankings on Oct. 26.
Gannon is coming off a 3-1 win over a tough Daemen squad on the road on Tuesday night. The Golden Knights have won 10 of their past 11 matches since being 6-4. GU's only loss in that span came against first-place Clarion (20-1 overall, 10-0 PSAC West).
Earlier this year, Gannon beat both Mercyhurst and Edinboro by 3-1 scores. Despite Mercyhurst's record, Darling's team will be wary of the Lakers. During the 2021 season, Mercyhurst registered a 3-0 upset against a Gannon team that eventually advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Gannon won the second match of that season at home.
Here's a look at this weekend's two matches:
Friday's match: Mercyhurst at Gannon, 7 p.m., Highmark Events Center
Saturday's match: Edinboro at Gannon, 2 p.m., Highmark Events Center
Last time:
Gannon beat Mercyhurst 3-1 on Sept. 20 at Mercyhurst.
Gannon beat Edinboro 3-1 on Sept. 24 at Edinboro.
All-time series:
Gannon leads Edinboro 39-28
Gannon leads Mercyhurst 53-27
2022 records:
Gannon: 16-5 overall, 9-1 PSAC West, second place (8-2 at home)
Mercyhurst: 3-17 overall, 1-10 PSAC West, ninth place (0-6 on road)
Edinboro: 17-6 overall, 7-4 PSAC West, third place (4-2 on road)
PSAC standings
Coaches:
Gannon: Matt Darling, 16th season (368-141)
Mercyhurst: Ryan Patton, 19th season (253-260)
Edinboro: Missy Soboleski, 18th season at Edinboro (371-201)
Statistical leaders:
Gannon:
Sam Deinek (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon East) 232 kills, 21 blocks
Madde Blake (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) 198 kills, 213 digs, 34 aces
Hailey Koch (Littleton, Col./Dakota Ridge) 137 kills, 39 blocks
Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute) 145 kills, 37 blocks
Sophia Glabus (Elmhurst, Ill./York) 95 kills, 45 blocks
Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey) 715 assists, 178 digs
Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) 397 digs, 23 aces
Lara Toruner (Istanbul, Turkey/Terakki Foundation) 175 digs, 24 aces
Anyja Vranic 140 digs, 29 aces
Mercyhurst:
Kate Hennessy, 156 kills
Paige Miller, 134 kills, 157 digs
Kylie Schnars, 130 kills, 33 blocks
Alexa Mitchell, 342 assists, 150 digs
Isa McCaffrey, 160 assists
Zoe Gadomski, 242 digs
Kaitlin Murphy, 42 blocks
Edinboro:
Bella Burrelli, 240 kills, 208 digs, 30 blocks
Natalie Pallone, 207 kills, 56 blocks
Erica Sharp, 179 kills, 62 blocks
Jessie Michel, 106 kills, 31 blocks
Alicia Eldredge, 688 assists, 239 digs
Carly Pry, 370 digs
Emelia Rowell, 148 digs
Sally Sterkel, 77 blocks
