CEDARVILLE, Ohio – Gannon head coach
Matt Darling knew his No. 23 Golden Knights would be tested right away with a challenging season-opening weekend at the Cedarville Invitational.
Friday provided exactly that.
Gannon opened the 2026 season against No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul, battling the nation's top-ranked team in a four-set loss before returning later in the day and showing its resiliency with a reverse-sweep victory over host Cedarville.
The Golden Knights fell to Concordia-St. Paul 25-19, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22 before facing an early 10-0 deficit against Cedarville. The Yellow Jackets eventually took the first two sets, but Gannon responded by winning three straight for a 13-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-11 victory.
"We really needed the evening comeback win," said Gannon head coach
Matt Darling. "Our play was a bit uneven all day, but the team showed remarkable fight to get all the way back. We might not be playing clean volleyball yet, but I'm extremely proud of the effort so far."
THE GAME FACTS
Match One
Score: No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 23 Gannon 1 (25-19, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22)
Records: Gannon 0-1 | Concordia-St. Paul 1-0
Location: Callan Athletic Center | Cedarville, Ohio
Date: August 28, 2026
Match Two
Score: No. 23 Gannon 3, Cedarville 2 (13-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-11)
Records: Gannon 1-1 | Cedarville 1-1
Location: Callan Athletic Center | Cedarville, Ohio
Date: August 28, 2026
THE KNIGHT CAP
vs. No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul
- Back-to-Back No. 1 Openers: For the second consecutive season, Gannon opened its season against the No. 1-ranked team in the country, taking on Concordia-St. Paul on Friday morning.
- Golden Knights Answer Back: After dropping the opening two sets, Gannon extended the match with a 25-22 victory in the third. The set featured eight ties and four lead changes. Gannon broke a 15-15 tie with four straight points to take a 19-15 advantage and later stretched the lead to 24-17 before closing out the set.
- Four in Double Figures: Gannon featured a balanced attack with four Golden Knights reaching double figures in kills. Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) led the way with 15 kills, while Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) and Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) added 12 apiece and Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area) finished with 11.
- Atwell Efficient in the Middle: Atwell committed just two errors on 20 attempts to finish with a .450 hitting percentage. She also contributed four total blocks.
- Gainer Directs the Offense: Ava Gainer (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) handed out 42 assists while adding seven digs.
- Career High for Yazicioglu: Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy) led the Golden Knights with 23 digs, while Yazicioglu added a career-high 20 digs. Fowler also contributed six assists.
- Claxon at the Service Line: Addi Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) led the Golden Knights with two service aces, while Atwell, Yazicioglu and Fowler added one apiece.
- Statistical Edge: Gannon finished with a 59-49 advantage in kills and a 69-67 edge in digs. The Golden Knights hit .194 compared to .205 for Concordia-St. Paul.
vs. Cedarville
- Reverse Sweep: After dropping the opening two sets 25-13 and 25-19, Gannon roared back to win the final three 25-15, 25-22 and 15-11 to complete the reverse sweep and earn its first victory of the season.
- Digging Out of an Early Hole: Cedarville scored the first 10 points of the match and went on to take the opening set 25-13. The Yellow Jackets followed with a 25-19 win in the second before the Golden Knights began their comeback.
- Coming Off a Ranked Win: Cedarville entered the nightcap after opening its season earlier Friday with a five-set victory over No. 24 Missouri-St. Louis.
- Payback Victory: Gannon earned some payback on Cedarville's home court after the Yellow Jackets defeated the Golden Knights in four sets last season.
- Williams Powers the Comeback: Williams finished with a match-high 18 kills while hitting .280 and added 12 digs. She also delivered a match-high five service aces, accounting for more than half of Gannon's nine aces.
- Atwell Stays Hot: Atwell continued an impressive opening day with 11 kills on 17 attempts and just two errors for a .529 hitting percentage. She also finished with seven total blocks.
- Gainer Directs the Rally: Gainer dished out 44 assists to go with nine digs and six block assists.
- Fowler Reaches 20: Fowler led Gannon with 20 digs, while Williams and Yazicioglu added 12 apiece.
- Third-Set Turnaround: Gannon took control of the third set with an 8-0 run that turned a 13-13 tie into a 21-13 advantage. Williams served three aces during the run as the Golden Knights stayed alive with a 25-15 victory.
- Williams Comes Through in Fourth: Williams delivered four kills during the fourth set after Gannon had seen a 16-10 lead trimmed to 16-15. Her final kill gave the Golden Knights set point at 24-21 before Gannon closed out the 25-22 victory.
- Best for Last: Gannon saved its best offensive performance for the deciding fifth set, hitting .467 with nine kills and only two errors on 15 attempts to finish off the comeback.
UP NEXT
Gannon concludes play at the Cedarville Invitational on Saturday, August 29 against No. 24 Missouri-St. Louis at 11 a.m. at the Callan Athletic Center.
This story was written using the support of AI.
