Boxscore

ERIE, Pa. -- Deadlocked at two sets each, Mercyhurst College used a strong performance from middle blocker Justine Smith in the final set to rally the Lakers to a 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-12) victory over crosstown rival Gannon. 

The win keeps Mercyhurst's playoff hopes alive as both teams occupy fourth-place in the Western Division standings with a 10-6 record in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. The Lakers improve to 19-9 overall while the Gannon falls to 19-8 on the year. 

Mercyhurst jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead with a 25-20 win in the first set, starting with four consecutive points before Gannon rallied to knot the opening frame at 5-5. From there the Lakers never trailed, increasing their lead to as many as four several times. 

The Lakers had the opportunity to take the second set, holding a lead until the Golden Knights finally rallied for their first lead at 17-16. However, Gannon used an 8-3 run to close out the set with a 25-19 win. 

In the middle set, the Lakers again played much like the first, jumping out to a quick lead and forcing Gannon to call a timeout with a 22-18 lead. 

The Golden Knights then rebounded with an 11-6 run to open the fourth frame and increased their lead to 19-12 before closing out the set on an ace. 

In the deciding set, the Lakers took advantage of Smith's excellent hitting, using three straight kills from the middle of the floor on a quick set by Julia Butler to extend the lead to 10-8 after switching sides. 

Defense was abundant in the match as the Lakers tallied 14 team blocks to Gannon's 12. Four Mercyhurst players posted double-digits in digs with Chelsea Jensen adding 12 kills to her 10 digs for a double-double. Butler added 40 assists to go along with her 11 digs as she also recorded a double-double on the night. Aiding the defensive scheme was Justine Swanson and Elyse Texido, posting 10 and 16 digs, respectively. 

The freshman blocking duo of Becky Leusch and Becky Smith combined for eight block assists while J. Smith added six blocks on the night. Leusch also tallied a shared game-high 13 kills to lead the unit. 

For Gannon, Morgan Reineke recorded 13 kills and 11 assists while Jess Saunders had 16 digs. Kara Cullen added seven kills and had a game-high nine blocks. Lauren Sazama also aided GU's effort with nine service aces. 

The Lakers are next in action on Friday, Oct. 30 when they travel to regional rival Edinboro. The Lakers swept the Fighting Scots earlier this season. Currently, Edinboro is in third place in the PSAC West.