Gannon University Athletics

Matt Darling has guided the Gannon volleyball program through an unprecedented run of success as the Golden Knights prepare for the 2025 season. During 18 seasons as the Gannon head coach, Darling has become the all-time wins leader among the program's coaches and has transformed the Golden Knights into perennial national contenders. He has done this while also serving as a highly respected English professor with the university. 

The program looks very different from when he arrived in February 2007. Darling took over a team that posted single-digit victory totals in consecutive seasons prior to his arrival and engineered a turnaround that includes the current run of 15 consecutive 20-win seasons (not including the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign that saw Gannon go 18-4) and an identical number of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

That run includes the Golden Knights’ first two NCAA Division II Final Four appearances, four conference championships, five trips to the D-II Elite Eight in the past seven NCAA Tournaments, and dozens of postseason awards.

Gannon has been remarkably consistent and excellent under Darling’s guidance. Excluding his first two seasons as he reshaped the program, since 2009 Gannon has won over 77 percent (413-117) of its matches and has been a perennial presence in the NCAA Tournament. Darling enters the 2024 campaign with a 432-151 career mark. He became the program's all-time winningest coach with a victory over Shepherd in the NCAA Atlantic Regional on Nov. 15, 2018, and he claimed his 400th victory on Nov. 3, 2023. He is currently among the top 25 active winningest coaches at the NCAA Division II level.

The 2024 season continued the tradition of excellence that Darling has brought to the program. Earning a 26-8 overall record, the Golden Knights started the season 1-3 but proceeded to win 17 of their next 19 matches, including an eleven match win streak that helped Gannon romp through the PSAC regular season slate. The 2024 regular-season championship was the eighth straight year the Golden Knights either won or tied for the division championship, losing just once in a 13-1 conference mark.

The Golden Knights entered the PSAC Tournament as the No. 1 Western seed and made quick work of both Seton Hill and East Stroudsburg, winning six straight sets to march to the conference championship. GU would fall to IUP, 3-1, but still secured the top seed and a host bid for the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional. Journey Blevins had 19 kills in the championship match.

For a third straight season, the regional ran through Erie. Gannon defeated eight No. 8 seed Shaw, 3-1 in the quarterfinals before sweeping No. 5 West Virginia State to advance to the finals. Despite dropping the first set to Wheeling in the championship game, GU responded by taking the next three sets en route to another regional title and a berth in the NCAA Elite Eight.  Blevins, Hailey Koch, and Ali Sorenson were named to the All-Tournament team. Seeded sixth in the following tourney, the Golden Knights would push No 3. Angelo State to the brink in the quarterfinals, but came up just short in a 3-2 defeat, finishing another remarkable year. 

For a sixth time, Darling was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year as Gannon dominated the end of season conference honors. Emma Hall was named Defensive Athlete of the Year, while five GU student-athletes were recognized with all-conference honors. Four Golden Knights were named to the 2024 AVCA All-Atlantic Region Team, including Sorenson, Emma Hall, Blevins, & Koch (all first team). The same quartet were also named to the D2CCA All-Atlantic Region Team (Sorenson & Hall - first; Blevins & Koch - second).

In 2023, Gannon earned its fourth PSAC championship, including its second in a row, while posting a 27-5 record. After starting the season 1-2, the Golden Knights won 21 of their next 22 matches, which included winning streaks of eight and 13 matches. Gannon clinched its second consecutive PSAC West regular-season title with a 3-0 sweep over Mercyhurst that moved GU's record to 14-2.

Gannon entered the PSAC Tournament as the No. 1 Western seed and opened the tourney with a 3-0 sweep of Pitt-Johnstown at Gannon's Highmark Events Center. The tournament shifted to Shippensburg, where Gannon claimed a 3-2 semifinal victory over East Stroudsburg. The Knights then defeated rival Clarion in five sets in a dramatic PSAC championship game. Junior outside hitter Journey Blevins was named PSAC Tournament MVP after her 27-kill performance in the finals. Junior libero Emma Hall also collected a career-high 37 kills.

Darling's team then entered the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional as the No. 1 seed and hosted the tournament for the second straight year. The Knights claimed a 3-0 sweep of West Liberty in the first round before dropping a five-set match against IUP in the semifinals. 

Blevins and senior outside hitter Madde Blake were named to the 2023-24 All-PSAC West First Team, while Hall and Hailey Koch landed spots on the Second Team. Blevins, Hall, and Koch were selected to the D2CCA All-Atlantic Region First Team, and Blake was recognized with Honorable Mention. Blevins was named to the AVCA All-American Third Team, while Hall and Koch were AVCA All-American Honorable Mention.

Gannon's 2022 season was one of Darling's finest as a coach. Going into the 2022 season, the Knights had lost four former All-Americans and several other regulars to graduation. He transformed a young, inexperienced GU team into a powerhouse. After a 4-3 start, Gannon won 23 of 24 matches, including 17 in a row.

The Knights rolled to the PSAC West regular-season title with a 15-1 conference record. They captured the third PSAC Tournament title in program history and then stormed to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship. GU won both the PSAC and regional titles in front of big, boisterous crowds at the Highmark Events Center. Each of their three title-match victories in 2022 came against archrival and PSAC powerhouse Clarion.

Gannon's historic 2022 run ended with a loss at the NCAA Elite Eight in Seattle against a talented Cal State LA team. That setback did not spoil a memorable season as Gannon's young team set the foundation for the 2023 season and beyond. 

Many postseason honors followed. Darling was honored as the PSAC West Coach of the Year for the fifth time after previously winning conference coaching honors in 2009, 2012, 2016, and 2018.  The American Volleyball Coaches Association selected Darling as the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Coach of the Year for the second time. He first won the award in 2012. (Darling also received back-to-back Eastern College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2016 and 2017.)

His players also were highly decorated after the 2022 season. Junior outside hitter Madde Blake and freshman setter Bengisu Arslan were selected as AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans. Arslan was voted as the PSAC West and Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year. Sophomore libero Emma Hall was tabbed as the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year and as a D2CCA All-Atlantic Region Second Team honoree, Arslan, Hall, and Maggie Greenfield were named to the All-PSAC West First Team, while Blake made the Second Team.

Darling's record in the PSAC has been remarkable since Gannon joined the conference in 2008. After the Knights went 3-9 in the conference that season, they have posted a 196-50 PSAC record in 14 seasons for a winning percentage of .796. In the past six seasons, the Knights are 93-11 (.894) with two PSAC titles and two runner-up finishes.

Darling’s 2021 squad also ranked among the most successful in Gannon annals. The Golden Knights finished the season with a 32-7 record, tied for the most wins during Darling’s tenure. It marks the fifth 30-win season under Darling and the ninth in the history of the program. The 32 wins were the fourth-most in the 49-year history of Gannon volleyball.  Gannon won the PSAC West regular season title and reached the PSAC Finals before falling to Clarion. 

The postseason was just beginning for the Golden Knights. Seeded second entering the NCAA Atlantic Regional in Wheeling, W.Va., Gannon rallied from a 2-0 deficit against seventh-seeded East Stroudsburg for a 3-2 win in the quarterfinals. The Golden Knights followed with a 3-0 sweep of West Virginia State, the sixth seed, in the semifinals, and handed top seed Wheeling a 3-0 defeat in the Atlantic Regional final.

The win advanced the Golden Knights to their third Elite Eight appearance in the last four years, and the program’s sixth overall. Gannon was seeded fifth in the Elite Eight and handed fourth-seeded Hillsdale a hard-fought 3-1 defeat in the quarterfinals. That brought up a semifinal match with top seed Tampa. The Golden Knights battled to the end against a Tampa team that would go on to win the national championship, dropping a 3-1 decision (21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 18-25). Gannon ended the year ranked 17th in the final AVCA Division II Top 25 for the second straight year. 

Later, he was named Gannon Athletics Coach of the Year for 2021-22, the third time in five years that he had been voted as the university's top coach by his Gannon peers.

Darling helped Gannon navigate a challenging 2020-21 season. The Golden Knights notched an 18-4 overall record despite having to play an independent schedule in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gannon made the most of its opportunities finishing the regular season with a perfect 16-0 mark, including an upset win over then-ranked No.1 Hillsdale. The Golden Knights ascended all the way up to No. 8 in the AVCA Top 25 Poll, the highest mark in program history. Gannon capped its season with a trip to the AVCA National Championship Tournament in Dallas, Texas, that was highlighted by wins over Texas Woman’s and Arkansas Fort Smith. Gannon went 2-4 in the tournament, but the NCAA ruled that the AVCA matches were not official matches so the six matches did not count toward Gannon's overall record. The Golden Knights finished the season ranked No. 17 in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll.

The 2019 season saw Gannon reach the 30-win mark for the fourth straight season after compiling a 30-7 overall record and 17-1 in PSAC play. The Knights also went on to reach their second NCAA Elite Eight in three seasons. Gannon proved to be on the best offensive units in NCAA Division II finishing the season positioned fifth in kills (1,806) and seventh in assists (1,659). Darling also accomplished another career milestone earning his 300th career win following the victory over Seton Hill in the NCAA Tournament. Under the guidance of Darling, the volleyball program earned its first NCAA Elite 90 winner after Lydia Lukomski secured the honor in 2019, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average at the NCAA Championship site. The Golden Knights went on to finish the season ranked No. 23 in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll.

Named the Gannon Athletics Coach of the Year in February 2018 for the team's remarkable run in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Darling orchestrated another stellar season with a 31-3 overall mark in 2018. The Golden Knights went 11-1 at home, ultimately dropping two of their three matches to Seton Hill in five sets during the PSAC Championship and NCAA Atlantic Regional. Gannon reeled off a 19-match winning streak heading into the conference championship match, earning the league's top overall seed and serving as host for the 2018 PSAC Championships.

The 2017 Golden Knights’ edition advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four for the first time in program history, before dropping an extremely tight five-set decision in the national semifinals to Florida Southern to finish the year at 32-7. The squad led NCAA Division II in attacks (5,351), blocks (354.5) and digs (2,780). The Golden Knights were tabbed 10th in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll.

Gannon’s 2016 squad was Darling’s first to reach 30 wins, ending the year at 31-4. Gannon won its second PSAC Championship after previously claiming the crown in 2012.

Darling’s blueprint for success has been based on assembling talented student-athletes who excel both on the court and in the classroom. The Golden Knights have received numerous conference, regional and national awards. They have garnered 92 total all-conference, all-region, and All-America awards since Darling’s arrival. In the five years before 2009, the program only had one such award.

After the 2021 season, Lauren Sampson was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and was joined on the All-PSAC West first team by Ashley McClung. Ashley Beyers and Maggie Greenfield were accorded second team honors. Three players earned AVCA All-Atlantic Region accolades, with Sampson and McClung on the first team and Greenfield an honorable mention choice. Sampson was also named to the D2CCA All-Atlantic Region first team. Sampson and McClung went on to earn AVCA Honorable Mention All-American honors. It marked the second time for Sampson and the first for McClung. 

Since 2012, the Golden Knights have now earned 11 All-American honors. Lauren Sazama was a first team Daktronics selection in 2012 while Hannah Kren received three consecutive AVCA honorable mention accolades in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Lauren Sampson was an AVCA honorable mention honoree in 2018 and again this past year, while Ashley Kerestes and Ashley Beyers received similar honors in 2019 and Ashley McClung was an honorable mention pick in 2021. Blake and Arslan joined them as AVCA honorees in 2022.

Not surprisingly, Gannon has reached new heights in the classroom as well. The Golden Knights have annually earned the AVCA Team Academic Award. The Golden Knights generated one of the nation’s top 25 cumulative grade point averages five straight years between 2016-17 and 2020-21.

Individually, Gannon had two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in 2021, with Beyers named to the second team and Sampson garnering third team accolades. Beyers was a third team selection the year before that. A total of 17 Knights earned All-PSAC Scholar-Athlete accolades in 2021 by maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better, bringing the total 98 in the last eight seasons.

Gannon student-athletes have enjoyed new off-the-court experiences under Darling, who took the team on international training and service trips to Nicaragua in 2010 and 2014.

Prior to taking the head coaching job at Gannon, Darling spent eight years as an assistant coach at multiple NCAA Division I programs. The Cambridge Springs, Pa., native worked at Auburn (2001-04), Marquette (1999-2001) and Michigan State (1994-97). At MSU, he was part of a Spartan program that won consecutive Big Ten titles and made an appearance in the 1995 NCAA Final Four.

In addition to his work at the college level, Darling has coached volleyball camps at a half dozen NCAA Division I schools and helped run clinics for girls and boys throughout the midwestern and southeastern United States. In 2003 and 2004, Darling served as an assistant coach for the USA Developmental Select Team that participated in the European Spring Cup Volleyball Tournament in Brno, Czech Republic.

Darling is also an active member of the AVCA and serves on the board of “Coaches 4 Coaches,” a group that helps promising young coaches during their pursuit of a career in the sport. In addition to his work as a coach, Darling served as a Field of Play Marshal for volleyball matches at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. He was also on the statistics crew for the 2000 World League Volleyball Championships in various cities throughout the United States.

Darling earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Kentucky in 1994. He received his Master of Arts in English Literature from Michigan State in 1997. He spent almost two years teaching ESL in Omiya, Saitama, Japan, before returning to the United States to coach at Marquette. In August of 2006, Darling completed his Ph.D. in English Literature with an emphasis on the late-19th and early 20th-century American prose and poetry.

Darling currently teaches courses in American literature and literary theory in the English Department at Gannon. His publications include :  “Roy Hobbs as ‘Toxic Jock’:  Explaining the Fall of Malamud’s Would-Be Hero” (2024); “’American out of Conflict: World War II and the Elegies of Muriel Rukeyser” (2022); “’What Follows Is Substantially True and Accurate’: Autobiographical Subjectivity in David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King” (2017); “Writing, Mothering, and Traumatic Subjectivity in Sapphire’s Push” (2013); and “David Foster Wallace and the Athlete’s War against the Self” (2013).  In addition, he wrote a review of the Wallace biopic The End of the Tour (2015) and has written about the philosophy of sport, delivering a paper on the subject at the 2013 Deleuze Studies conference in Taipei, Taiwan.

Darling is married to the former Elizabeth Halloran, a physical therapist and athletic trainer who regularly works as a member of the medical staff for various U.S. Olympic Committee teams. The couple resides in Erie with their children Michael and Charlotte.

Updated August 8, 2025