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Women's Volleyball 11/20/2025 2:32:00 PM Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Arslan Named PSAC West Athlete of the Year; Darling Repeats as Coach of the Year

Four Golden Knights named to All-PSAC West team

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Gannon volleyball team captured two of the major postseason awards as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference announced its 2025 All-PSAC Volleyball Teams on Thursday afternoon. Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) was voted the PSAC West Athlete of the Year while Matt Darling repeated as the PSAC West Coach of the Year.

The other two major PSAC awards went to Clarion's Haley Fledderjohann, who was named the Defensive Athlete of the Year, and Olivia Weiseman of California (Pa.), the Freshman of the Year.

Four Golden Knights were accorded All-PSAC West honors with three on the first team. Arslan is now a three-time All-PSAC West honoree while Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area) and Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) were also named to the first team. Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) earned a spot on the second team. Arslan is Gannon's first Athlete of the Year since Lauren Sampson in 2021.

Arslan is a senior setter who climbed into second place in career assists in Gannon's 3-0 PSAC Quarterfinal win over West Chester on Tuesday. She now has 4,253 career assists, including 1,147 this season.

The native of Ankara, Turkey leads the PSAC in both total assists and assists per set (10.92). She is also second on the team with 253 digs and leads the team with 41 service aces. The 1,147 assists rank 11th in a season and she now has three of the top 11 assist total all time.

The 2022 PSAC West Freshman of the Year, Arslan was accorded first team All-PSAC West honors in 2022 and 2025 and was a second team pick last year. She was an AVCA honorable mention All-American in 2022.

Darling continues to add to his legacy. He has now been named the PSAC West Coach of the Year seven times since Gannon joined the PSAC in 2008. He was previously honored in 2009, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2024.

He began the 2025 campaign looking to replenish a lineup that lost four AVCA honorable mention All-Americans. The Golden Knights won the PSAC West regular season title with a 13-1 record for the second straight year and Tuesday's quarterfinal win over West Chester puts Gannon in the PSAC semifinals for the ninth straight year.

Gannon brings a 23-6 record into Friday's semifinal match with Pitt-Johnstown. The Golden Knights have now won 20-or-more matches 16 straight seasons (not counting the COVID year of 2020). The Golden Knights are seeking a third PSAC championship in the last four years along with a fourth trip in five years to the Elite Eight.

Atwell is a 6-foot-3 middle blocker who ranks among the career leaders in total blocks. The junior leads the team in block solos (26), block assists (69), and total blocks (95), ranking fifth in the PSAC in blocks per set (0.98) along with third in hitting percentage (.333). In addition, she is third on the team in kills (222) and has accounted for 288.5 points, good for second on the team. Atwell stands fifth in career blocks with 355.

Wake entered her junior year with 82 career kills. The 5-foot-11 right side emerged as Gannon's top hitter with 285 kills, good for .300 hitting percentage. She has accounted for a team-high 326.5 points. In addition, Wake is second in total blocks (62) and has 99 digs.

Yazicioglu followed a similar path as Wake. The 5-foot-10 inch junior went from 90 kills in her first two seasons to 220 this year, fourth on the team. The outside hitter from Ankara, Turkey is third on the team in served aces with 36 and has 229 digs, fourth on the team.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Bengisu Arslan: S; 5' 8"; Senior

#1 Lauren Atwell: MB; 6' 3"; Junior

#24 Sydney Wake: RS; 5' 11"; Junior

#13 Nehir Yazicioglu: OH; 5' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#10 Bengisu Arslan
: 5' 8"; Senior
: S

#1 Lauren Atwell
: 6' 3"; Junior
: MB

#24 Sydney Wake
: 5' 11"; Junior
: RS

#13 Nehir Yazicioglu
: 5' 10"; Junior
: OH