ERIE, Pa. – Gannon is in the true crossover season with women's basketball tipping off this weekend after the men's and women's wrestling teams hit the mats last weekend.

Three Golden Knight teams qualified for their respective PSAC tournaments, with men's soccer and volleyball entering as the number one seeds. Both teams are on a roll, with men's soccer riding a six-game winning streak and volleyball winners of 14 of their last 15 matches.

Oddly enough the highest ranked Gannon team is women's soccer. Head coach Colin Petersen's squad is 14-1-2 but currently battling a series of injuries to key players. Coupled with a pair of strong competitors in Slippery Rock and Indiana (Pa.), the ninth-ranked Golden Knights are in a fight for the top seed with one match remaining.

Speaking of rankings, the Highmark Events Center is hosting the D2 CCA Tip-Off Classic this weekend. The tournament, brought to northwestern Pennsylvania by the Erie Sports Commission and sponsored by AHN Sports Medicine and AHN Pavilion, showcases four teams ranked in the top 15 in the WBCA Div. II Preseason Top 25. In addition to Gannon, ranked fifth in the poll, the field includes No. 2 Union (Tenn.) and No. 4 North Georgia.

Below is the schedule for the week ahead, along with a quick preview of each team.

THIS WEEK IN GANNON ATHLETICS

Volleyball (19-5)
Friday, Nov. 7 at Seton Hill -- 7:00 p.m.  
Saturday, Nov. 8 at California (Pa.) -- 1:00 p.m. 

• The Golden Knights clinched the number one seed in the Western Division with four matches remaining, improving to 10-0 in conference play with road wins over Pitt-Johnstown and Indiana (Pa.).
• A 3-0 win at UPJ left Saturday's match at IUP with the Crimson Hawks Gannon's closest competitor in the division.  Head coach Matt Darling's squad was simply dominant while prevailing 25-18, 25-15, 25-12.
• Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) continued to excel as the team's setter. With 62 assists in the two matches the senior became just the third Golden Knight with 4,000 career assists.
• Gannon looks to extend a streak of 14 wins in the last 15 matches with a pair of road contests this week. They play at Seton Hill on Friday and at California (Pa.) on Saturday.             

No. 9 Women's Soccer (14-1-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 5 vs. Clarion – 6:00 p.m. - 

• The biggest thing the ninth-ranked Gannon women's soccer team can do is get healthy as the PSAC Tournament approaches. It was a banged-up squad that took to the pitch this past week with many key performers unable to play.  
• The week began with a 3-0 win over an upset-minded Edinboro squad. Freshman Olivia Dixon (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) broke a scoreless tie in the 69th minute and added a second goal four minutes later.      
• On Saturday it was showdown time as Gannon played at Slippery Rock with first place on the line.  Following a scoreless first half Dixon gave Gannon a 1-0 lead and Ella Fadale's (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) goal made it 2-0. But Slippery Rock scored twice in less than eight minutes and the match ended in a 2-2 tie.
• Gannon hosts Clarion on Wednesday. A win and SRU loss gives Gannon the top seed in the West in the upcoming PSAC Tournament. In addition to being ranked ninth nationally head coach Colin Petersen's team is one of ten listed in the initial NCAA Atlantic Region poll.

No. 16 Men's Soccer (10-2-4)
Thursday, Nov. 6 vs. California (Pa.) – 4:00 p.m. 

• Head coach Billy Colton's team ran its winning streak to six games with a pair of impressive wins. In the process the Golden Knights clinched the number one seed in the PSAC West with the playoffs beginning next weekend. Early in the week Gannon climbed to 16th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 and were one of ten teams listed in the NCAA's initial Atlantic Region poll.    
• Rafa Hyde (São José dos Campos, Brazil/) came alive with a 2-goal, 2-assist performance as Gannon ran away from Slippery Rock 7-0. Over the weekend the Golden Knights made it three straight shutouts with a 3-0 win at Lock Haven. Shota Toyama (Kanagawa, Japan/Tama) scored late in the first half and Hyde made it 2-0 less than two minutes into the second half.
• Gannon has now outscored its last three opponents 17-0. The regular season concludes on Thursday with California (Pa.) visiting McConnell Family Stadium.

Football (1-8)
Saturday, Nov. 8 vs. California (Pa.) – 12 noon 

• Gannon wraps up the home portion of its schedule on Saturday hosting California (Pa.).  The Golden Knights look to snap a four-game losing streak against a Vulcan's team that is 6-3.
• A number of young players have turned in strong performances this season. On Saturday in a 26-6 loss at Indiana (Pa.) Rolando Perez (Homestead, Fla./Somerset Academy) scored his first career touchdown on a four-yard run. Defensive lineman Jeremiah Lovely (Jacksonville, Fla./Andrew Jackson) totaled three sacks and 4 TFL.
• The 2025 season wraps up on Saturday, Nov. 15 with a PSAC crossover game at Lock Haven.

Cross Country
Saturday, Nov. 8 at NCAA Div. II Atlantic Regional Championships hosted by Lock Haven

• The men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Go Fast River Run at Lock Haven last weekend. They return to the same course this week, but the stakes are much bigger. Head coach Rob Ahrens' teams compete in the NCAA Div. II Atlantic Regional on Saturday.
• Emily Bowers (Silver Creek, N.Y./Silver Creek) comes off a first-place finish at the PSAC Championships, the first Golden Knight female runner to win the race. Now the sophomore looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships. 
• Many of Gannon's top runners did not compete on Saturday. The women's team had two runners in the top ten with Josey Blackburn fourth and Doris Taucher seventh. On the men's side Lincoln Kier led seven runners, placing ninth.

Men's Water Polo (13-9)
Hosts WWPA Championships on Friday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov, 23 at SPIRE Institute, Geneva, Ohio

• Gannon concluded the regular season on Sunday with a 19-17 win at Penn State Behrend to remain undefeated all-time vs. the Lions. Head coach Zarko Sadikovic employed four goalkeepers while Alexandros Kotskar supplied the offense. Already the career record-holder for goals and points, the senior totaled eight goals and an assist. Nikiforos Liantziris added four goals and three assists.
• The Golden Knights return to the pool on Friday, Nov. 21 hosting the WWPA Championships. The three-day event will be held at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Gannon enters as the number one seed in the East Region.

No. 5 Women's Basketball
Hosts the D2 CCA Tip-Off Classic Friday, Nov. 7 to Sunday, Nov. 9

• For the third straight year Gannon opens the season in the D2 CCA Tip-Off Classic. Only this year the Golden Knights will serve as the host site for part of the tournament along with Edinboro with the Erie Sports Commission hosting the tournament.
• An incredible field features four teams ranked in the top 15 in the WBCA Div. II Preseason Poll, including three in the top five. Gannon, ranked fifth after reaching the Elite Eight for the second straight year and finishing at 28-7, is ranked fifth.
• The Golden Knights open the season against second-ranked Union (Tenn.) in a matchup of Elite Eight teams. They play Northern Michigan on Saturday then wrap up the tournament against fourth-ranked North Georgia on Sunday.

Swimming
Thursday, Nov. 20 to Saturday, Nov. 22 at Malone Invitational – All Day

• Each year the Golden Knights look to compete in one large, multi-day meet in preparation for the PSAC Championships later in the year. That meet comes up this week with Gannon competing in the Malone Invitational on Thursday through Saturday. The goal for Milan Medo's team – post qualifying times for the PSAC's and NCAA's.                    
• The Malone Invitational wraps up the fall season. The teams don't return to the pool for a competition after that until Jan. 17 when Malone and Oberlin come to Gannon.  

No. 10 Men's Wrestling
Sunday, Nov. 9 at Ohio Intercollegiate Open – All Day 

• The Gannon men's wrestling team opened the 2025-26 campaign on Saturday with a highly-successful showing in the Mount Union Invitational. Expectations are high with head coach Tom Boyd's team entering the season ranked 10th in the NWCA Div. II Preseason Poll.
• Seventeen Golden Knights earned medals at the Mount Union Invitational. That includes five champions. Returnees Logan Sallot (Erie, PA/McDowell High School) and Patrick Jackson (Harpers Ferry, WV/Spring Mills High) finished first at 125 and 184 lbs., respectively. Jackson moved up from 174 lbs. this year. In addition, Jake Niffenegger (Mason, Ohio/La Salle), a two-time All-American at Mercyhurst, was the champion at 141 lbs. while Grant MacKay (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) won at 165 lbs. and Joey Lyons (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) at 197 lbs.    
• Gannon competes in another open tournament on Sunday at the Ohio Intercollegiate Open hosted by Case Western Reserve.

Women's Wrestling
Saturday, Nov. 8 at Adrian Duals
Sunday, Nov. 9 at Adrian Invite – All Day

• The women's wrestling team debuted for the 2025-26 season on Sunday in the ESU Open. Head coach Erin Vandiver began her third year at the helm with six place-winners. Bella Phillips (Bellingham, Wash./Squalicum High School) led the way with a first-place finish at 180 lbs. A year ago Phillips set the school record for wins (38) while earning All-American honors. Rose Cassioppi (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah) reached the finals before finishing as the runner-up at 160 lbs.           
• Gannon is ranked 21st in the NWCA Preseason Top 25 while Phillips is sixth at 160 lbs. and Jada Badayos-Chaves (Odenton, Md./Arundel High) ninth at 103 lbs.
• A busy weekend is ahead for the Golden Knights. They will compete in the Adrian Duals on Saturday and then wrestle in the Adrian Invite on Sunday.