The Gannon women’s volleyball team remained unbeaten in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference action Tuesday night by defeating rival Mercyhurst on the road, 3-1.
The victory, coupled with sweeps of Lock Haven and Bloomsburg over the weekend, improved the Knights overall record to 10-4 and left them 3-0 in PSAC play entering play Friday night at East Stroudsburg.
Gannon stretched its winning streak to five in beating Mercyhurst 25-17, 25-22, 20-25 and 25-17. Leading the way were Ashley McClung, who collected 14 kills, and Ally Smith, who added 12. Ashley Beyers contributed 47 assists.
The Knights opened PSAC play Friday against Lock Haven at the Hammermill Center. Gannon was explosive in the first set, jumping to an early 9-4 lead and then expanding its lead to 23-10 lead after a 10-0 run. The Knights finished this set winning 25-13.
Both teams traded points in the second set until Gannon used a 7-0 run to make the score 17-8. Lock Haven battled back to narrow the deficit to 21-13. However, the Knights closed out the set on a 5-2 run to steal the frame, 25-15.
Gannon jumped to an early 11-6 lead in the third set with three straight aces by Lauren Sampson and went on to win the match, 25-16.
Gannon dominated in all aspects of the game, leading in kills, blocks and aces. Sampson played a key role in the three-set win as she secured seven kills and five aces.
The Knights then hosted Bloomsburg, another PSAC foe, on Saturday, and they needed just three games to take the win.
The two teams traded points in the first set until Gannon had a 5-0 run that resulted in an 8-2 lead. The Knights were able to stretch their lead to double digits, going up 14-4, and ended on an 8-0 run to take the first set in dominant fashion, 25-7.
The second set was closer as Gannon took an early lead 15-9, but Bloomsburg erupted on an 8-1 run to chip down its deficit to 22-20. However, the Huskies’ rally fell short as Gannon did not allow any more points and won the second set, 25-20.
Bloomsburg took the early lead in the third set, 6-4, but Gannon responded with a 6-1 run to gain an 18-11 lead. The Knights finished strong, winning the final set, 25-21.
NICHOLAS POUCH
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