Women's Volleyball | 10/19/2026 11:01:00 AM

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon volleyball team is ranked first in the Atlantic Region and leads all Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) teams in the NCAA Division II National Power Index (NPI) rankings.

The Golden Knights, under 20th-year head coach Matt Darling, hold a 16-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in PSAC West play, sitting in third place in the division behind IUP and Clarion, which are both 7-1 in conference action.

Gannon leads both the Atlantic Region and PSAC in the NPI rankings, sitting at No. 26 nationally with a rating of 60.793, narrowly ahead of IUP, which ranks second in both the region and conference and No. 32 nationally with a rating of 60.170.

 Just 0.623 points separate the two PSAC programs at the top of the Atlantic Region rankings.

The NPI is a new ranking system adopted by Division II for the 2026-27 academic year to help evaluate teams for NCAA Tournament selection. The system uses a data-driven formula that considers a team's wins and losses, strength of schedule and quality of opponents.

Unlike traditional rankings, the NPI evaluates teams on a national scale, allowing programs from different conferences and regions to be compared using the same system.

Gannon leads a group of seven PSAC programs ranked among the top 10 in the Atlantic Region. IUP follows at No. 32 nationally, while Shepherd (No. 39), Clarion (No. 53), Kutztown, Lock Haven and Pitt-Johnstown round out the conference representation.

The Golden Knights return to PSAC West action this weekend with a pair of road matches, beginning Friday, Oct. 23, at California (Pa.) at 6 p.m. Gannon will then travel to Greensburg, Pa., on Saturday, Oct. 24, to face Seton Hill at 1 p.m.