ERIE, Pa. –
Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) recorded a career-high 18 kills as the Gannon volleyball team capped a perfect weekend at the Gannon Invitational with a four-set victory over Eckerd on Saturday afternoon at the Highmark Events Center.
The Golden Knights defeated the Tritons 25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18 to improve to 4-2 on the season. Gannon finished its home invitational with a 3-0 record and was the only team in the tournament to take a set off a competitive Eckerd squad, handing the Tritons their lone loss of the weekend.
Yazicioglu led a balanced Gannon attack with her career-best 18 kills, while
Carlee Webber (Anamosa, IA/Marion) added 11 kills and hit .381.
Brooke Gwiazda (Frankfort, Ill./Peotone) and
Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts) chipped in 10 kills apiece as four Golden Knights reached double figures.
"Today's performance was probably our best of the young season, and I'm proud of the players for playing hard all the way through the match," head coach
Matt Darling said. "Eckerd looked great this weekend, so this was a great team win for us."
THE GAME FACTS
Score: Gannon 3, Eckerd 1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18)
Records: Gannon 4-2; Eckerd 5-3
Location: Highmark Events Center | Erie, Pa.
Date: Sept. 5, 2026
THE KNIGHT CAP
- Career High for Yazicioglu: Yazicioglu put down a career-high 18 kills on 47 attacks while hitting .255. She added two block assists and finished with a match-high 19 points.
- Perfect at Home: The Golden Knights finished the Gannon Invitational with a perfect 3-0 record, closing the weekend with a four-set win over Eckerd.
- Four in Double Figures: Gannon featured four players with double-digit kills. Yazicioglu led the way with 18, Webber had 11, and Gwiazda and Williams finished with 10 apiece.
- Webber Efficient: Webber recorded 11 kills on 21 attacks with only three errors for a .381 hitting percentage. She also contributed six block assists.
- Fast Start: Gannon hit .387 in the opening set, putting down 15 kills with only three errors to take a 25-18 victory.
- Golden Knights Finish Strong: After Eckerd evened the match with a second-set victory, Gannon captured the final two sets. The Golden Knights hit .400 with 17 kills and only three errors in the fourth set to close out the victory.
- Gainer Directs the Offense: Ava Gainer (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) handed out 54 assists while adding 14 digs and two service aces.
- Defensive Effort: Williams led the Golden Knights with 15 digs. Gainer and Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy) each collected 14, while Addi Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) added 11.
THE NEXT MATCH
Gannon returns to action on Thursday, Sept. 10, when the Golden Knights travel to Wheeling, W.Va., for the MEC-PSAC Crossover Tournament. Gannon opens the tournament against Wheeling at 6 p.m.
This story was written using the support of AI.
