ERIE, Pa. – No drama was necessary for the Gannon volleyball team on this day.

Less than 15 hours after pulling off a five-set comeback against Indiana (Pa.), the Golden Knights completed a comfortable 25-18, 25-21, 25-14 victory over Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday afternoon at the Highmark Events Center.

Head coach Matt Darling's team had to work much harder on Friday night when Gannon lost the first two sets to IUP before rallying for a marathon five-set win.

"IUP and Pitt-Johnstown both came in pretty high in the standings, so we feel grateful to get two wins," Darling said. "Last night, in particular, took a lot out of us, but we came back, we refocused, and we were pretty good today."

Gannon improved to 13-3 overall and remained in second place in the PSAC West with a 5-1 record, one game behind Clarion in the standings.
 

What happened:

Gannon led 19-15 in the first set when junior outside hitter Journey Blevins (Richwood, Ohio/North Union) and junior middle blocker Ali Sorenson (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln Way East) had back-to-back kills to expand the lead to 21-15. The Knights later closed out the set with three consecutive points, including two kills for senior outside hitter Madde Blake (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central).

With junior setter Marta Roicka (Warsaw, Poland/North Central Texas Academy) serving, Gannon scored the first 12 points of the second set. However, there was still a little drama in the set as UPJ pulled within 24-21. However, a Blevins kill on set point ended UPJ's comeback hopes.

Gannon led 12-9 in the third set when it went on an 11-2 run and took control of the match.

 
By the numbers:

Blake led Gannon with 15 kills and had a strong .367 hitting percentage. She also had 11 digs to finish with a double-double.

Blevins had another game with double-digit kills, finishing with 13.

Roicka had a double-double as she had 32 assists and tied Blake with a team-high 11 digs.              

UPJ dropped to 11-6 overall and 2-3 in the PSAC West.
 

What's ahead:

Gannon will play two Erie County rivals at home next weekend. The Golden Knights will host Edinboro on Friday night and Mercyhurst on Saturday night.