WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL MATCH PREVIEW

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS at OREDIGGER VOLLEYBALL CLASSIC
DATE/TIME: Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7
ARENA/LOCATION: Lockridge Arena l Golden Colo.
 
GANNON MATCHES:
Friday, Sept. 6, 1 p.m.: vs. No. 17 Colorado Mesa (24-5 in 2023) | Live Stats | Live Video
Friday, Sept. 6, 6 p.m.: vs. Michigan Tech (15-16) | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, Sept. 7, 2 p.m.: vs. Colorado School of Mines (14-12) | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, Sept. 7, 5 p.m.: vs. No. 5 Concordia-St. Paul (30-3) |  Live Stats | Live Video

Tournament website

GOLDEN, Colo. – The Gannon women's volleyball team will open the 2024 season on Friday on the first day of the two-day Oredigger Volleyball Classic, hosted by the Colorado School of Mines at Lockridge Arena.
 
Coach Matt Darling's team will play two matches on Friday and two on Saturday, and two of those matches will come against teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25. The Golden Knights will open against No. 17 Colorado Mesa, which went 24-5 in 2023 before facing Michigan Tech in the second match on Friday.
 
Gannon will meet the host school, Colorado School of Mines, in the first match on Saturday before closing the tournament against No. 5 Concordia-St. Paul, a nine-time national champion that went 30-3 last season. Gannon received votes in the AVCA poll but did not make the Top 25.
 
Gannon is coming off a 27-5 season during which it repeated as the PSAC West regular-season champion (14-2) and as the PSAC Tournament champion. The Golden Knights return seven players who were in the regular rotation in 2023.
 
The season-opening tournament is especially meaningful to Gannon senior right side Hailey Koch (Littleton, Col./Dakota Ridge), who is from Littleton, Colo., which is just less than a half-hour drive from Golden, Colo.
 
Gannon season preview
 
Rosters:
Gannon
Colorado Mesa
Michigan Tech
Colorado School of Mines  
Concordia-St. Paul
 
Schedules:
Gannon  
Colorado Mesa  
Michigan Tech
Colorado School of Mines
Concordia-St. Paul
 
Head coaches:
Gannon 
Colorado Mesa 
Michigan Tech
Colorado School of Mines  
Concordia-St. Paul
 

Golden Knights to Watch
Senior outside hitter Journey Blevins (Richwood, Ohio/North Union): Blevins had a strong season in her first season with the Golden Knights as she became a three-time AVCA All-American. She led Gannon with 502 kills and 554 points in 2023. Including her first two seasons at Findlay, Blevins has 1,392 career kills and 1,510 points.

Senior libero Emma Hall (Lowell, Mich./Lowell): The 2023 AVCA All-American ranks No. in Gannon history with 1,810 career digs. She is only 193 digs behind career leader Taryn Graham (2,003 digs, 2011-14). After recording 612 digs in 2023, Hall is the only player in Gannon history with at least 600 digs in two seasons.

Senior right side Hailey Koch (Littleton, Col./Dakota Ridge): She was a standout performer at the net, earning AVCA All-America honors. Koch ranked second on the team with 349 kills and 408.5 points in 2023. Also a defensive force, she tied for second with 95 total blocks.

Junior setter Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian): Through her first two seasons, Arslan has moved into 10th place on Gannon's career list with 1,830 assists. She finished second on the team with 586 assists in 2023 and should be ready for a return to her 2022 form in 2024.

 
What's up next: Home opener, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 6 p.m., vs. Ashland, at Hagerty Family Events Center