SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Gannon women's volleyball team clinched the PSAC West regular-season title more than a week ago, and now the Golden Knights can finally focus on the postseason.
 
Coach Matt Darling's Gannon team completed a 13-1 season in the PSAC West on Saturday with a four-set win (15-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-22) over Slippery Rock in the regular-season finale at Morrow Field House.
 
Gannon has earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Division and will host Seton Hill on Tuesday at 7 p.m. If the Golden Knights win that match, they will host the PSAC Final Four and championship match on Nov. 22-23.
 
For the second straight match on Saturday, the Golden Knights lost a sluggish first set before rebounding to win three straight sets.
 
"I'm proud of the team for battling through for a tough road win. Our block was excellent at times today, and we came up with some big points when we needed them," Darling said. "I'm excited about the start of the playoffs. This is the time of year when teams make their marks, and this team can make a very prominent mark on the program's history. I can't wait for Tuesday."
 
The match was the last in the career of 40-year SRU coach Laurie Lokash, who announced her retirement earlier in the week.
 

How it happened:
 
One day after Gannon dropped the first set to California in a four-set win, GU lost the first set to Slippery Rock 25-15. SRU rolled to a 19-9 lead and eventually closed the set on a kill by Chelsie Wheeler.
 
Slippery Rock again led 9-7 in the second set, but Gannon turned the match around with a 10-1 run that gave the Knights a 17-10 lead. GU then cruised to a 25-16 win the set.
 
SRU didn't fall without a fight in the final two sets. The Rock led 23-22 in the third set before Gannon scored the final three points, including a kill by Hailey Koch (Littleton, Col./Dakota Ridge) and a block on set point by Koch and Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area).
 
SRU led again in the fourth set, 16-14, but again the Knights regrouped. With Journey Blevins (Richwood, Ohio/North Union) serving, Gannon won six consecutive points to grab a 20-16 lead. Gannon sealed the victory on a Blevins kill.
 
 
By the numbers:
 
Koch and Carissa Treser (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) tied for the team lead with 11 kills apiece. Blevins had 10 kills.
 
Gannon's blocking game was impressive, led by Atwell's 10 total blocks (one solo, nine assists). Koch had eight block assists, and Ali Sorenson (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln Way East) had one solo block and six block assists.
 
Junior setter Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) finished with 36 assists.
 
Junior libero Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) paced Gannon with 29 digs.