Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst volleyball team beat rival Gannon, 3-1, Tuesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Sarah Wegrzyn recorded 15 kills and a career-high 26 digs in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division match. The Lakers swept Gannon for the first time since 2005 as Coach Ryan Patton earned his 150th career win at Mercyhurst.
 
The Lakers won by scores of 25-15, 25-27, 25-11, and 25-18, playing one of their best matches of the year. In the first game, Mercyhurst took control after a 5-5 tie. Three Gannon attack errors gave the hosts a lead and then Camille Alvarez scored to make it 8-5. After each team posted an error, Lexi Stefanov had a kill and then Rachel Crittle tallied an ace to take an 11-6 advantage.
 
Alvarez continued her strong play, posting a point and then assisting on a block with Stefanov for a 15-7 margin. The Lakers maintained the lead until the end of the frame, as Alvarez scored two more points to close out the opener.
 
The Lady Knights took a tight second set, but Mercyhurst bounced back with two commanding victories to take the contest. Wegrzyn, Crittle, and Alvarez each recorded a pair of kills to put the Lakers up, 16-8. Nicole Texido served an ace and Crittle scored twice to put GU on the brink. Kelly Vitt assisted on a Sarah Vick point to cap the game, 25-11, in favor of the home team.
 
Alvarez was the catalyst again in the fourth frame, scoring twice around a Crittle ace to give the Lakers an 11-5 advantage. Later in the game, Alvarez posted a block and another kill. After two Vick points, Mercyhurst held an 18-11 lead. Alvarez, Stefanov, and Vick each had a kill to give the Lakers the win and The Diocese Trophy.
 
In the match, Mercyhurst hit .221 and held GU to a .036 rate. The Lakers hit .459 in the third frame and .469 in the fourth, containing the Knights to a -.071 number in the third set. Mercyhurst compiled 68 kills, a season high.
 
Alvarez led with 17.5 points (16 kills, one block solo, one block assist) and Wegrzyn had 15.5 points (15 kills, one block assist). Crittle added 14.5 points (11 kills, two aces, three block assists). Stefanov had 10 kills and Texido handled a season-high 27 digs. Vitt dished out a season-high 34 assists and Tai Lattimore totaled 28 in the win.
 
Mercyhurst improved to 16-12 overall and 10-8 in the PSAC. Gannon is 16-11 overall and 11-7 in the conference. The Lakers also beat the Knights in four games on October 8, marking their first win there since the 2008 season. The Diocese Trophy is awarded to the winner of the annual Mercyhurst-Gannon contest. Patton is 150-131 in his nine-year Laker career.
 
The Lakers head to Indiana (Pa.) and Clarion for two more PSAC Western Division matches this weekend.