HILLSDALE, Mich. –
Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) delivered a career-best performance as the Gannon volleyball team capped a perfect three-day stretch with a four-set victory over Ashland on Saturday afternoon at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.
Williams slammed a career-high 20 kills and added 17 digs for a double-double as the Golden Knights prevailed 25-27, 27-25, 25-19, 25-16.
Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) added a season-high 15 kills, while
Ella Woltman (Munster, Ind./Munster) finished with a season-best 13 kills as Gannon extended its winning streak to 10 matches and improved to 11-2 overall.
The victory completed a 3-0 stretch in three days for the Golden Knights, who opened PSAC West play with a win over Edinboro on Thursday before earning road victories over Hillsdale and Ashland on Friday and Saturday.
After dropping a tightly contested opening set, Gannon battled back to claim an equally dramatic second set before taking control over the final two frames. The Golden Knights' defense held Ashland to hitting percentages of just .043 and .103 over the final two sets.
"I just can't say enough about the players' effort right now," head coach
Matt Darling said. "Today, again, we faced a very tough opponent who made us elevate our level of play, and we did it. Abbey, Sydney, and Ella kept taking big swings, but we had major contributions from the middles, the defensive players, and especially Ava as well. It was a full-team effort this week."
THE GAME FACTS
Score: Gannon 3, Ashland 1 (25-27, 27-25, 25-19, 25-16)
Records: Gannon 11-2, 1-0 PSAC | Ashland 9-2, 4-0 G-MAC
Location: Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena – Hillsdale, Mich.
Date: September 19, 2026
THE KNIGHT CAP
- Career Day for Williams: Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) powered the Gannon attack with a career-high 20 kills while adding 17 digs for a double-double. Williams also served two aces and finished with a match-high 23 points.
- Wake Turns in Season Best: Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) recorded a season-high 15 kills with just two errors on 38 attempts for a team-best .342 hitting percentage. She also contributed three block assists.
- Woltman Adds Season Best: Ella Woltman (Munster, Ind./Munster) added a season-best 13 kills as Williams, Wake and Woltman combined for 48 of Gannon's 63 kills.
- Gainer Runs the Offense: Ava Gainer (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) handed out 56 assists and collected 14 digs for a double-double. She also added four block assists as the Golden Knights finished with 63 kills.
- Wild Opening Set: The first set featured 13 ties and five lead changes. Gannon trailed 22-20 before scoring four straight points to reach set point at 24-22. Ashland answered by scoring five of the final six points to take the opener 27-25.
- Golden Knights Answer: Gannon faced a 19-17 deficit in the second before battling back. Williams delivered three kills during the late stages, and the Golden Knights fought off an Ashland set point at 24-23 before eventually scoring the final three points for a 27-25 victory. Wake and Carlee Webber (Anamosa, IA/Marion) combined for the set-clinching block.
- Gannon Takes Control: With Gannon leading just 12-11 in the third, the Golden Knights used a 6-1 run to open an 18-12 advantage. Williams contributed two kills during the surge before Gannon went on to take the set 25-19.
- Defense Makes the Difference: Gannon finished with 90 digs and 13 total blocks, compared to 84 digs and eight blocks for Ashland. Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy) paced the back row with 22 digs, while Williams had 17, Addi Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) 15 and Gainer 14.
- Perfect Three-Day Stretch: Gannon went 3-0 in three days, defeating Edinboro, Hillsdale and Ashland while pushing its winning streak to 10 consecutive matches.
Up Next
Gannon returns to the Highmark Events Center for Alumni Weekend on Friday, September 25 when the Golden Knights host California (Pa.) in PSAC West action. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
This story was written using the support of AI.
