Progress report for Gannon sports: Oct. 27 – Nov. 10

Michael Guido, Managing & Sports Editor

Football (4-6): The Knights dropped a tough one Saturday to cross-town rival Mercyhurst 24-13.
Despite running back Melvin Blanks reaching a career-high 1,000 yards during the game, becoming the first Gannon running back since 2018 to reach this milestone, the Knights couldn’t overcome penalities and two first-half interceptions from quarterback Kory Curtis.
The Knights were able to secure multiple fourth-down conversions in the second half, but in the end fell short due to strong offensive output from the Lakers.
Sitting at 4-6, the Knights will close out the regular season at 1:05 p.m. Saturday with a road trip to face East Stroudsburg.
It will be the first meeting between the schools since 2015.
Women’s volleyball (24-5): The Knights rebounded from a shutout loss to Clarion with a three-game winning streak, taking two on the road against Pittsburgh-Johnstown and Edinboro, respectively.
The Knights’ latest win against the Scots featured strong play from seniors Ashley McClung and Ashley Beyers.
McClung secured 17 kills and hit .385 during the match.
Beyers, on the other hand, recorded her 18th double-double of the season and also accumulated 38 assists and 12 digs on the night. If Beyers secures 11 more assists, she will break the Gannon record in that category.
As the march to the PSAC tournament continues, the Knights will face Sli[ppery Rock at 7 p.m. Friday at the Hammermill Center.
Men’s water polo (13-8): The men’s water polo team, having finished its regular season, will now wait to participate in the Mid-Atlantic water polo conference championship, which will be hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., next weekend.
The Knights will be led by seniors Drago Marjanovic, Tony Squeglia and Robert Bolmanski, among others.
Women’s basketball (0-0): The Knights will kick off the 2021-2022 season against Bluefield State at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Hammermill Center.
Athlete awards & recognitions: Redshirt senior Taylor Lewis of the women’s soccer team earned her third-career PSAC Athlete of the Weeek award.
Lewis earned a hat trick last Wednesday in a 5-0 win over Clarion University.
With the hat trick, Lewis now leads the team with 10 goals amd is tied for second place all-time in career goals at Gannon with 46 total.
In addition, Lewis has assisted on three goals this season, putting her third all-time in Gannon career points with 113.