ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon University volleyball team will commemorate Homecoming Day with a PSAC West showdown against its archrival on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Matt Darling's team will welcome Clarion to Highmark Events Center at 4 p.m. for a Homecoming Day matchup between elite PSAC teams.

Gannon enters the weekend with a 9-2 overall record after winning its past eight matches. The Golden Knights moved to 1-0 in the PSAC West on Tuesday but had to work for the win. Slippery Rock won the first two sets before

Gannon rallied for a 3-2 victory by scores of 20-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-15, 15-11.
 

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (9-2 OVERALL, 1-0 PSAC WEST) VS. CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES (10-2 OVERALL, 0-0 PSAC WEST)

WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.

WHERE: Highmark Events Center | Erie, Pa.

Note: Clarion was set to play Slippery Rock in its PSAC West opener on Friday evening.

LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
 

ALL-TIME SERIES

Clarion leads the series with Gannon 39-35.

The two teams met four times last year, and three of those matches were high-stakes showdowns.

Clarion swept Gannon 25-22, 25-23, 25-14 at the Highmark Events Center in the first regular-season matchup of 2022. The two teams then collided in the regular-season finale with the No. 1 seed from the Western Division on the line. Gannon emerged with a five-set triumph at Clarion, 25-14, 25-12, 13-25, 23-25, 15-9.

As a result of that match, Gannon eventually hosted the PSAC Tournament final four, and the Golden Knights and Golden Eagles met in the championship match at Highmark Events Center.  Gannon claimed another tense, five-set win, 25-19, 19-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-8.

After winning the PSAC West title, Gannon then hosted the eight-team Atlantic Regional. Gannon and Clarion again worked their way through a talented field and advanced to the finals. There, Gannon claimed a 3-1 homecourt victory, 28-26, 17-25, 27-25, 25-20, to advance to the Elite Eight in Seattle.
 

HEAD COACHES

Matt Darling, Gannon: He has a 388-140 record in 17 seasons as the Gannon women's volleyball coach. He has led the Golden Knights to 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and the team has advanced to the D-II Elite Eight in four of the past five NCAA Tournaments, including two Final Four berths. He is the reigning PSAC West Coach of the Year and the Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.

Jennifer Herron, Clarion: Like her Gannon counterpart, Herron is a highly decorated veteran coach. She is a three-time PSAC Coach of the Year and two-time Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. Herron has a 375-162 record in 17 seasons. She has led the team to two PSAC titles and 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

 
RECENT TOP PERFORMERS

Gannon:

Journey Blevins (Richwood, Ohio/North Union): The junior outside hitter leads Gannon with 175 kills and has led the team in kills in each of the 11 matches.

Madde Blake (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central): The senior outside hitter had eight kills and 16 digs on Tuesday, and Darling recognized Blake for her valuable leadership in Gannon's comeback win.

Marta Roicka (Warsaw, Poland/North Central Texas Academy): The redshirt junior setter has started six consecutive matches and has been a key to Gannon's eight-match winning streak. She had a career-best 42 assists on Tuesday and leads Gannon with 241 assists.

Hailey Koch (Littleton, Col./Dakota Ridge): The junior right side had 13 kills and a .393 hitting percentage on Tuesday. She leads the team with 33 total blocks and ranks second with 91 kills.

Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell): The junior libero paces Gannon with 200 digs and has moved into seventh place on Gannon's career list with 1,398 digs.

 
Clarion:

London Fuller: The reigning PSAC West Women's Volleyball Athlete of the Year already had 492 assists through the first 12 matches. The 5-foot-10- redshirt senior setter is one of the premier all-around players in the Atlantic Region and is a returning AVCA All-American.

Julia Piccolino: She is one of Clarion's two power hitters. Piccolino has had more than 400 kills the past two seasons and has 89 this season despite missing some time. She is a returning All-PSAC and All-Atlantic Region honoree.

Cassidy Snider: The 6-foot outside hitter was All-PSAC, All-Atlantic Region, and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American in 2022. The junior recently topped the 1,000-kill mark in her career and led Clarion with 202 kills going into Friday's match.

Abigail Selfridge: The redshirt senior defensive specialist had 1,477 career digs going into Friday. She had a team-best 166 digs this season.