INDIANA, Pa. – Until someone can knock off the Gannon women's volleyball team, the PSAC West race belongs to the Golden Knights.

Gannon claimed a four-set victory, 25-15, 25-27, 25-21, 27-25, over a red-hot Indiana (Pa.) team on Saturday, extending GU's winning streak to 13 while ending IUP's win streak at seven.

Junior Hailey Koch (Littleton, Col./Dakota Ridge) led Gannon's hitting with a career-high 20 kills as the Golden Knights improved to 22-3 overall and 13-1 in the PSAC West.

Coach Matt Darling's Gannon team, which already had secured a PSAC playoff spot, clinched at least a tie for first place in the PSAC West. The Knights have a two-game lead over second-place Clarion (11-3) in the Western Division, while IUP (10-4) slipped into third place. Gannon has two regular-season matches left.

"This was a hard-fought match, and IUP really played well the last three sets," Darling said. "Hailey played a great match, and lots of players made big plays at crucial times. This was a really good win for us."

Gannon has secured the right to host a PSAC quarterfinal match on Nov. 14.
 

What happened:

• Gannon breezed through the first set before Indiana came through in the clutch and edged GU 27-25 in the second. The third set was tied at 17 before Gannon closed the set with an 8-4 flurry.
• The first time Gannon and IUP played this season, the match went five sets before GU emerged the win. The Crimson Hawks appeared to be on the verge of sending Saturday's match to a fifth set when it took a 21-17 lead in the fourth.
• As they have done all season, the Golden Knights regrouped and closed the gap. Kills by freshmen Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) and Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area), and a block by Atwell and Koch tied the score at 22-22. IUP had a set point when it took a 24-23 lead but Koch had back-to-back kills to give Gannon a 25-24 edge. After IUP tied it, Journey Blevins (Richwood, Ohio/North Union) had a kill, and Wake and Ali Sorenson (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln Way East) teamed up on a block to end the match.

 
By the numbers:

• Koch, a 6-foot-3 right side hitter, set a career high with her 20 kills on Saturday, topping her previous mark of 19, which she accomplished twice in 2022. On Saturday, Koch finished with a .357 hitting percentage, with five errors on 42 attacks.
• Outside hitters Journey Blevins (Richwood, Ohio/North Union) and Madde Blake (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) also reached double-digit in kills with 13 and 11, respectively. Blake had a double-double with 10 digs.
• Wake, a freshman right side, continued to contribute. She had six kills.
• Sophomore setter Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) paced GU with 29 assists, while junior libero Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) added a team-high 15 digs.
• Sorenson had a team-best five total blocks for the Knights.

 
What's ahead:

Gannon will close the regular season against a pair of Erie County rivals. The Knights will visit Edinboro on Wednesday at 6 p.m. before heading to Mercyhurst on Saturday for a 1 p.m. regular-season finale.