ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon volleyball team put together a perfect opening day of the Gannon Invitational on Friday, sweeping Malone before earning an electric five-set victory over Wayne State in front of a packed Highmark Events Center.
The opening day of the Gannon Invitational featured five matches, with the first four ending in straight sets before Gannon and Wayne State delivered the lone five-set thriller in Friday's finale.
The Golden Knights eventually prevailed 25-17, 14-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-11 to cap a 2-0 day and improve to 3-2 on the season.
Gannon opened its home tournament earlier in the day with a dominant 3-0 victory over Malone, winning 25-8, 25-19 and 25-11.
THE GAME FACTS – MALONE
Gannon controlled the opening match from the start, racing past Malone in straight sets.
The Golden Knights came out firing offensively, hitting .516 in the opening set with 17 kills and just one attack error on 31 attempts en route to a 25-8 victory. Gannon followed with wins of 25-19 and 25-11 to complete the sweep.
The Golden Knights finished the match hitting .324 with 48 kills, while holding Malone to just 20 kills and a .095 hitting percentage.
Gannon also caused problems from the service line, finishing with 10 service aces compared to just three for Malone.
Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) led the charge with five aces, while
Gabby Beaubrun (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) added two.
Ava Gainer (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School),
Addi Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) and
Ela Demirel (Marmaris, Turkey/Marmaris Cagdas Bilim High School of Science) each contributed one.
Williams added 10 kills on a .364 hitting percentage and 10 digs.
Carlee Webber (Anamosa, IA/Marion) finished with 10 kills and just one error on 14 attempts for a .643 hitting percentage.
Brooke Gwiazda (Frankfort, Ill./Peotone) and
Ella Woltman (Munster, Ind./Munster) each chipped in nine kills, with Gwiazda hitting .400. Gainer directed the offense with 35 assists and added nine digs, while
Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy) joined Williams with a team-high 10 digs.
THE GAME FACTS – WAYNE STATE
With the first four matches of the Gannon Invitational ending in straight sets, the Golden Knights and Wayne State provided a much different finish to Friday's action.
Gannon took the opening set 25-17 before Wayne State responded with a 25-14 victory in the second. The Golden Knights regained the advantage with a tight 25-23 win in the third, but Wayne State answered again, taking the fourth 25-19 to force the only fifth set of the day.
In front of a packed Highmark Events Center, Gannon saved its best offensive performance of the match for the deciding set. The Golden Knights recorded eight kills with just one error on 15 attempts for a .467 hitting percentage to close out the electric 15-11 victory.
Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) led Gannon with 15 kills, while
Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) finished with 13 kills and a .385 hitting percentage.
Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) added 12 kills, giving the Golden Knights three players in double figures.
Ava Gainer (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) handed out 45 assists and added 14 digs and four service aces.
Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy) paced the defense with 19 digs, while Gannon finished with 62 digs as a team.
Carlee Webber (Anamosa, IA/Marion) made her presence felt at the net with three solo blocks and four block assists while adding five kills on a .400 hitting percentage.
THE KNIGHT CAP
- Perfect Friday: Gannon went 2-0 on the opening day of the Gannon Invitational, improving to 3-2 on the season.
- Home Sweet Home: Friday marked Gannon's first home action of the 2026 season, with the Golden Knights winning both matches at the Highmark Events Center.
- Sweep To Start: The Golden Knights opened their tournament with a straight-set victory over Malone, winning 25-8, 25-19 and 25-11.
- Ace Attack: Gannon recorded 10 service aces against Malone, led by five from Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts).
- Webber Rolls: Carlee Webber (Anamosa, IA/Marion) hit .643 against Malone, finishing with 10 kills and just one error on 14 attacks.
- Williams Leads The Way: Williams totaled 25 kills over Friday's two victories, recording 10 against Malone and 15 against Wayne State.
- Gainer Dishes It Out: Ava Gainer (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) combined for 80 assists, handing out 35 against Malone and 45 against Wayne State.
- Friday Night Thriller: The first four matches of Friday's Gannon Invitational ended in three sets before Gannon and Wayne State went the distance in the finale.
- Fifth-Set Fire: Gannon hit .467 in the deciding set against Wayne State, recording eight kills and just one attack error.
- Wake Up: Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) put down 13 kills while hitting .385 against Wayne State.
- Digging Deep: Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy) totaled 29 digs on Friday, including 19 in the five-set victory over Wayne State.
- At The Net: Webber recorded seven total blocks against Wayne State, including three solo blocks.
UP NEXT
Gannon closes out the Gannon Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 5 when the Golden Knights take on Eckerd at 2:30 p.m.at the Highmark Events Center.
