The Gannon volleyball team extended its winning streak to eight matches and remained unbeaten in PSAC West play with a 3–1 road victory at Clarion on Friday night.
The win marked the first time this season the Golden Knights have gone beyond three sets since facing West Virginia State on Sept. 20, and the first PSAC West opponent to take a set from Gannon.
"I'm very happy to be coming home with a win tonight. It was a battle, like always with Clarion, and I'm proud of everyone for coming together and doing the job we needed them to do. Wins on the road like this are really valuable in conference play, so we're happy," said head coach
Matt Darling.
"I thought Lauren and Bengisu were great, and our serve receive held up well against tough serving. Carissa was good off the bench as well."
THE GAME FACTS
Score: Gannon 3, Clarion 1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-16, 25-13)
Records: Gannon (13-4, 4-0 PSAC West) | Clarion (8-9, 2-2 PSAC West)
Location: Tippin Gymnasium (Clarion, Pa.)
Date: October 10, 2025
THE KNIGHT CAP
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Eight Straight: The Golden Knights improved to 13-4 overall and 4-0 in PSAC West play, remaining atop the divisional standings.
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Balanced Attack: Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area) hit a blistering .524 with 11 kills, while
Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) added 10 more. Setter
Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) guided the offense with 36 assists and eight digs.
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Defensive Energy: Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) led all players with 17 digs, and
Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy) (15) and
Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) (12) helped anchor the back row.
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Blocking Force: Gannon registered 14 total block assists, paced by Wake and Atwell with three each.
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Service Line Impact: The Knights tallied three aces — one apiece from Arslan, Fowler, and
Carlee Webber (Anamosa, IA /Marion).
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Resilient Response: After Clarion took set two, Gannon answered decisively to close out the final two sets by double digits.
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PSAC Outlook: Gannon has three more PSAC West matches remaining before wrapping up the first round of conference play. The Golden Knights sit atop the West standings (13-4, 4-0), while Shippensburg leads the East at 12-6 and 4-0.
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Community Night: Friday's matchup served as Clarion's annual Cancer Center Fundraiser match, drawing strong local support inside Tippin Gymnasium.
Up Next
The Golden Knights conclude their three-match swing on Saturday, October 11, traveling to Slippery Rock for a 2 p.m. match inside Morrow Field House.
This story was written using the support of AI.
