ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's volleyball team avenged an earlier five-set loss to Clarion on Friday night, battling past the Golden Eagles, 3-2, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division showdown at the Highmark Events Center.
After falling to Clarion in five sets on October 2, the Golden Knights returned the favor with a 23-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 15-9 victory. Gannon improved to 19-4 overall and 9-2 in PSAC West play, extending its winning streak to four matches.
Trailing 2-1 in the match, the Golden Knights showed their resilience by responding with a 25-20 victory in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth frame. Gannon then overcame a 7-5 deficit in the final set, closing the match on a 10-2 run to secure the comeback victory.
The victory keeps the Golden Knights in second place in the Western Division standings, one match behind IUP (10-1), while opening a one-match lead over third-place Clarion (8-3). Gannon remains in contention for the PSAC West regular-season title, with an opportunity to claim at least a share of the division crown if the Golden Knights win their remaining matches, including the regular-season finale at IUP on November 7.
Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) led the Golden Knights with 15 kills and 14 digs, while Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) added 14 kills on a .400 hitting percentage. Carlee Webber (Anamosa, IA/Marion) provided a strong presence at the net with eight kills and nine total blocks as Gannon finished with a 12-7 advantage in team blocks.
"It's a high performance of resilience, that's for sure," head coach
Matt Darling said. "When we were down 2-1, we didn't have a lot of momentum going. Clarion was doing a lot of really good stuff to get that lead. We just kind of figured it out. We got good contributions from lots of people on the way back, so it was a good team win."
Darling also credited the Golden Knights' offensive versatility and the contributions of several players, including freshman
Val Wadas (New Braunfels, TX./New Braunfels), who finished with 20 assists in an expanded role.
"The more diverse we can make the offense, the better," Darling said. "We tried a couple of new things today.
Val Wadas (New Braunfels, TX./New Braunfels) got her most playing time of the season, and I thought they did a really nice job for us. I'm just really grateful for all the pieces that we have. If we coaches can figure out how to put them together the right way, we should be okay."
THE GAME FACTS
Score: Gannon 3, Clarion 2 (23-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 15-9)
Records: Gannon (19-4, 9-2 PSAC West); Clarion (17-7, 8-3 PSAC West)
Location: Highmark Events Center – Erie, Pa.
Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
THE KNIGHT CAP
- Revenge in Five: Gannon avenged its October 2 five-set loss at Clarion by defeating the Golden Eagles in another five-set battle. The victory gave the Golden Knights a split of the regular-season series.
- PSAC West Race: The victory keeps Gannon in second place in the PSAC West standings at 9-2, one match behind conference leader IUP (10-1). The Golden Knights also moved one match ahead of third-place Clarion (8-3) and extended their winning streak to four matches.
- Williams Leads the Attack: Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) paced Gannon with a team-high 15 kills to go along with 14 digs, recording a double-double. She also contributed a service ace and a block assist.
- Wake Delivers: Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) finished with 14 kills and just two attack errors on 30 attempts for a team-best .400 hitting percentage among Golden Knights with at least 10 attempts. Wake also delivered the match-winning kill in the fifth set.
- Dominating the Net: Gannon held a 12-7 advantage in total team blocks, led by Carlee Webber's (Anamosa, IA/Marion) nine blocks, including six solo stops. Webber also contributed eight kills while hitting .250.
- Balanced Offensive Effort: Brooke Gwiazda (Frankfort, Ill./Peotone) added nine kills on a .350 hitting percentage, while Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) chipped in six kills and a team-high two service aces. The Golden Knights finished with 56 kills and a .180 hitting percentage.
- Setting the Offense: Ava Gainer (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) dished out a team-high 30 assists and Val Wadas (New Braunfels, TX./New Braunfels) added 20 as the Golden Knights combined for 54 assists. Gainer also recorded two kills, seven digs, three blocks and a service ace.
- Defensive Contributions: Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy) collected a team-high 18 digs, while Williams followed with 14. Addi Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) chipped in 10 digs, and Gabby Beaubrun (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) added nine as Gannon finished with 79 digs.
- Forcing a Fifth Set: Trailing 2-1 in the match, Gannon responded with a 25-20 victory in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth frame.
- Finishing Strong: Gannon overcame a 7-5 deficit in the fifth set, scoring four consecutive points to take a 9-7 lead. The Golden Knights closed the match on a 10-2 run, with Wake delivering kills for the final two points to secure the 15-9 victory.
Up Next
Gannon returns to the Highmark Events Center on Saturday, October 31, when the Golden Knights host Slippery Rock in another PSAC West matchup. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. Following the match, Gannon will honor its six seniors as part of Senior Day festivities.
This story was written using the support of AI.
