ERIE, PA – There will be a fourth Gannon-Clarion volleyball showdown, and this one will be for the highest stakes yet.

Coach Matt Darling's Gannon team rallied from a 2-1 deficit and beat Charleston (WV) in five sets on Saturday night to advance to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championship on Sunday at 5 p.m. at GU's Highmark Events Center.

After Gannon won the first set 25-19, the visiting Golden Eagles used an inspired defensive effort to claim the next two sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-22 to put Gannon's season on the brink. The Golden Knights responded with a strong 25-16 win in the fourth set and pulled away for a 15-9 victory in the deciding fifth set.

The match was played in front of a Highmark Events Center crowd that Darling called "electric." The Gannon faithful roared throughout the fourth and fifth sets as their team pulled out the emotional win.

Gannon reserved a spot in the NCAA's Sweet Sixteen as it improved to 28-5 with its 16th consecutive victory and its 22nd win in the past 23 matches.

Earlier Saturday evening, Gannon's archrival from the PSAC, Clarion, defeated Mountain East Conference champion Wheeling (WV) in four sets.

Gannon and Clarion have meet three times this season. Clarion swept Gannon at Highmark Events Center on Oct. 7, which represented the Golden Knights' last loss.

Gannon then went on the road and beat Clarion 3-2 on Nov. 5 to secure the PSAC West regular-season title. Eight days later, the Golden Knights edged the Golden Eagles in five sets again to claim the PSAC Tournament championship at The Highmark.

Now, the two teams will play for a prize that every college volleyball team desires. The winner will claim a trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight at the NCAA Fall Festival in Seattle, Wash., from Dec. 1-3.

Despite owning homecourt advantage, Gannon had to overcome some adversity on Saturday night. After GU won the first set, Charleston's defense began to sparkle, led by senior libero Erin Carmody's many spectacular diving saves on her way to 27 digs. In addition to her 51 assists, setter Maria Hernandez led the Golden Eagles with 34 digs.

Gannon's hitters kept swinging, though, and it eventually paid off.

Senior middle blocker Maggie Greenfield (Woodstock, Ontario/Woodstock Collegiate Institute) and junior outside hitter Madde Blake (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) led Gannon's balanced attack with 17 kills apiece. Sam Deinek (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon East) collected 15 kills, and Hailey Koch (Littleton, Col./Dakota Ridge) added 11. Gannon had a team hitting percentage of .248 while Charleston hit .142.

Freshman setter Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey) set a season high – and career high – with 54 assists. She now has 1,184 assists, which ranks ninth in a single season in Gannon history.

Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) led the Gannon defense with 25 digs, moving her season total to 598, which ranks third in Gannon history. She trails only Sarah Crandall (668 digs in 2017) and Toni Leitshuh (648 digs in 2019).

Blake added 19 while Lara Toruner (Istanbul, Turkey/Terakki Foundation) and Anja Vranic (Belgrade, Serbia) contributed 12 and 11 digs, respectively.

Sophia Glabus (Elmhurst, Ill./York) had six total blocks while Greenfield had four.

Gannon is now one victory away from clinching its fourth Elite Eight appearance in the past five NCAA Tournaments. Before the Golden Knights can do that, though, they must get past a talented Clarion team that is led by PSAC West and Atlantic Region Player of the Year London Fuller, and outstanding outside hitters Julia Piccolino and Cassidy Snider.

That showdown will happen on Sunday at 5 p.m. on Gannon's homecourt, and another boisterous crowd promises to be in attendance.