Women's Volleyball 11/20/2025 8:11:00 PM Taylor Brown, Associate Director of Sports Information & Media Relations

Volleyball Begins PSAC Championship Push Friday vs. UPJ

PSAC Semifinals • 3W Pitt-Johnstown vs. 1W Gannon
Date/Time: Friday, November 21, 2025 • 5:00 PM
Location: Koehler Fieldhouse | East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Live Stats | Video | Tickets

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Nov. 18
1E East Stroudsburg 3, 4W Seton Hill 2
2W IUP 3, 3E Shepherd 0
3W Pitt-Johnstown 3, 2E Shippensburg 2
1W Gannon 3, 4E West Chester 0
Semifinals – Friday, Nov. 21 (Hosted by East Stroudsburg)
3W Pitt-Johnstown vs. 1W Gannon – 5:00 PM
2W IUP vs. 1E East Stroudsburg – 7:30 PM
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 22 (Hosted by East Stroudsburg)
Semifinal winners – 5:00 PM

The Gannon women's volleyball team heads to East Stroudsburg on Friday looking to advance to the PSAC Championship match for the fourth time in five seasons. The Golden Knights enter the Final Four as the PSAC West regular-season champions and the tournament's No. 1 seed after a straight-set win over West Chester.

Gannon carries a 23–6 record into championship weekend and enters the semifinals with one of the most balanced and statistically dominant lineups in the PSAC. The Golden Knights lead the conference in kills (1,405), kills per set (13.38), assists (1,312), assists per set (12.50), hitting percentage (.248), points (1,823), and points per set (17.36).

Gannon will face Pitt-Johnstown, the No. 3 seed in the PSAC West, in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. on Friday at East Stroudsburg's Koehler Fieldhouse. The Golden Knights, the No. 1 seed in the PSAC West, enter the matchup riding a three-match win streak, including Tuesday's sweep of West Chester. The Golden Knights swept the Mountain Cats 3–0 in both regular-season meetings and hold a 24–4 all-time series lead.

Pitt-Johnstown arrives in the semifinals on a two-match winning streak, highlighted by Tuesday's five-set win over Shippensburg, the No. 2 seed from the PSAC East, to advance out of the quarterfinal round. The victory over West Chester marked Gannon's ninth straight PSAC Semifinal appearance and the program's 16th consecutive PSAC Tournament berth under head coach Matt Darling as the Knights look to reach the championship match for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

Game 2 of the night will feature host East Stroudsburg, the No. 1 seed in the PSAC East, taking on IUP, the No. 2 seed in the West, at 7:30 p.m.

The winners of both semifinals will advance to the 2025 PSAC Volleyball Championship on Saturday, with the champion earning the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament.

HEAD COACH MATT DARLING COMMENTS:
"We're looking forward to another challenging matchup with Pitt-Johnstown, who have played us really tough this year. The previous match could have gone either way, and they are coming off some big wins. It should be a great match."

"I feel excited about and grateful for this opportunity to be in the semifinals again this year. We seem to be here as if on a schedule, but the reality is that these chances come only when players put together a whole season of great performances and then come through again in the first round. This year's team has done those things, and I'm proud to be heading to East Stroudsburg with them."

GANNON ALL-PSAC HONORS & TEAM OUTLOOK
Gannon collected two major awards in Thursday's All-PSAC West announcement. Senior setter Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) was named PSAC West Athlete of the Year, while head coach Matt Darling earned his seventh PSAC West Coach of the Year honor.

Four Golden Knights earned All-PSAC West selections:
• Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) – First Team, Athlete of the Year
• Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area) – First Team
• Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) – First Team
• Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) – Second Team
Arslan continues to pilot Gannon's offense with a league-leading 1,147 assists (10.92/set) while ranking second on the team with 253 digs and leading the Knights with 41 service aces. She enters the semifinals with 4,253 career assists, second-most in program history.

Atwell ranks among the PSAC's top middles, hitting .333 with 95 total blocks and 288.5 points. Wake has delivered a breakout season with 285 kills on .300 hitting, while Yazicioglu has developed into a two-way threat with 220 kills, 36 aces, and 229 digs.

Gannon is 13–1 in PSAC play, has won 20 or more matches for the 16th straight season, and seeks its third PSAC title in the last four years.

SCOUTING PITT-JOHNSTOWN (17–10, 7–7 PSAC)
UPJ enters Friday following a five-set win over Shippensburg and features three All-PSAC West honorees.

All-PSAC West Selections:
• Ellie Zuro Cirino – First Team (OH)
• Caroline Knight – Second Team (OH)
• Jessica Krug – Second Team (DS/L)

UPJ Statistical Leaders:
• Ellie Zuro Cirino: 400 kills, 4.04 kills/set, .223 hitting, 239 digs, 448.5 points
• Caroline Knight: 322 kills (3.25/set), 40 blocks, 2.22 digs/set
• Jessica Krug: 5.37 digs/set, 494 total digs
• Abby Berry: 945 assists (9.64/set)
UPJ totals: 1,198 kills, 2.0 blocks per set, 1,573 digs (15.89/set).

KEY MATCHUP THEMES
Gannon's Offense vs. UPJ's Back Row
Gannon's PSAC-leading 13.38 kills per set meets a UPJ defense anchored by Krug, one of the top liberos in Division II.

Containing Zuro Cirino
UPJ's go-to hitter ranks among the top 25 nationally in kills per set and points per set. Gannon's block—featuring Atwell, Wake, Smith, and Gwiazda—has combined for 229 team blocks.

Serving Pressure
Gannon's 189 aces have shaped match flow all season, while UPJ's 243 service errors leave the door open for momentum swings.

WHAT'S AT STAKE
The winners of Friday's semifinals advance to the 2025 PSAC Volleyball Championship at 5 p.m. Saturday. The champion receives the PSAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament.

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