ERIE, Pa. - Coming off of two home victories last week over Bloomsburg and Lock Haven to start Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play and riding their best start since a 12-3 clip in 2012 the Mercyhurst women's volleyball team welcomes local rival Gannon University on Tuesday night to the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The first service is set for 7:05pm.
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Scouting the Lakers:
Mercyhurst is off to a 10-3 start and a 2-0 record in PSAC play, having won four consecutive matches and six of their last eight. Last week the began PSAC action strong with a pair of 3-0 victories over Bloomsburg and Lock Haven on Thursday and Saturday. Each match the Lakers had a different player post double-digit kills with
Tess Ganich notching a dozen on Thursday, before
Madison Kasper put down ten versus Lock Haven two days later. As a team against Lock Haven Mercyhurst posted a .370 hitting percentage with 40 kills. The setting trio of
Alexa Mitchell,
Mary Marusza, and
Claire Kenny.each recorded double-digit assists in one of the matches and combined to hand out 57 helpers over the two contests.
Head Coach Ryan Patton on team and matchup ahead:
"I'm generally happy with how we've played and progressed through the season so far, and Gannon will be a nice test for us. Gannon's resume from the last two seasons and so far this year makes them the conference favorite and our job is to make them earn that title. We aren't going to go into any match without deep belief in ourselves, and I do believe we're ready this match."
"Dating back even to the GLIAC years, the volleyball in matches with Gannon is never 'soft' and the rivalry ups the ante for everyone involved. Players are excited, coaches are sharper, emotions are stronger. They've got some good players and are doing some good things, and the same is for our team – I expect everyone involved will feel like they survived 15 rounds with a heavyweight when the final whistle blows."
Scouting the Golden Knights:
Gannon enters play with a 9-4 overall mark and a 2-0 record in PSAC play. Last week the Golden Knights also knocked off Lock Haven and Bloomsburg by 3-0 scorelines. As a team they hit .225 averaging 12.9 kills per set to go along with 16.3 digs and 2.3 blocks per frame. Ashley McClung and Ally Smith both have over 100 kills on the season and average more than 2.5 kills per set. McClung has a team-high 108 kills, while Smith leads on the service line with 22 aces. Ashley Beyers likes to share the ball with a side-best 414 assists. On the defensive side of the ball, Ashley Kerestes and Maggie Greenfield both have eclipsed the 40 block mark. Head Coach Matt Darling is in his 13th year leading Gannon.
Series History:
The Golden Knights lead the overall series 15-5 and have won the last nine meetings between the two. Mercyhurst last victory came on September 30, 2014 in a five-set thriller. Last season, Gannon took the match 3-0 with set wins of 25-18, 25-20, and 25-23. Katie Baird and Alyssa Zirnheld combined for 18 kills, while Marusza handed out 25 assists to lead the Lakers.
Free Food:
Mercyhurst students who attend tomorrow's match will have the opportunity to enjoy free pizza.
Waiting in the water:
The Lakers return to action on Saturday, October 5th and Sunday, October 6th when they visit the Warriors of East Stroudsburg and the Golden Bears of Kutztown in a PSAC East-West crossover. Preview for those matches will be released on Friday.
