Women's Volleyball 9/12/2017 9:31:00 PM Lea Sobieraski Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Daemen Falls To Reigning PSAC Champions

Box Score ERIE, PA. – The Daemen College women's volleyball team fell in straight set to Gannon University (18-25, 18-25, 9-25) in non-conference action, tonight at Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa.

With the loss, Daemen drops to 1-7 on the season. Tonight's match marked Daemen's third consecutive game against a team that qualified for the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Gannon, a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, improved to 7-2 overall after posting an impressive 31-4 season in 2016. The contest marked the tenth time the two teams have faced off; with the win the Golden Knights extend their winning streak to seven consecutive games against the Wildcats.

Gannon ousted Daemen in every statistical category except digs, the Wildcats recorded 51 total digs while the Golden Knights tallied 50. Daemen's 26 errors and .000 hitting percentage would ultimately be their demise, while Gannon only committed 10 errors with a .245 attack percentage.

Daemen's dominant defensive effort was led by freshmen duo Georgia Wicker (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock) and Ali Greenwood (North Aurora, Ill./West Aurora). The pair notched a game-high 17 and 11 digs respectively.

Offensively, Daemen had an even showing among their key attack players, including sophomore Meghan Ballou (Eden, N.Y./Eden), freshman Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind./ Penn) and redshirt-junior Courtney Scanlan (Ellicotville, N.Y./Stony Brook). All three Wildcats registered seven kills, while Ballou added six digs in the loss.

Sophomore outside hitter and Western N.Y. native Ally Smith (Penfield, N.Y) paced the Golden Knights with a match-high 15 kills, only committing two errors on 31 attempts, good for an impressive .419 attack percentage. Senior Sara Crandall (Cattaraugus, N.Y.) and junior Carolyn Knollman (Cincinnati, Ohio) combined for 19 digs in the sweep.

In the opening set, the two teams went back-and-forth early to sit tied at a 7-7 standstill. However, the Golden Knights outscored the Wildcats 18-11 to take the first set 25-11. Gannon posted a .242 hitting percentage compared to Daemen's .026 in the opening game.

Daemen took control in the early going of the second set, jumping out to a commanding 8-1 lead. Ballou and Scanlan nailed down two kills apiece off the hands of sophomore setter Sydney MacInnis (Superior, Colo./Fairview) in the opening run. Gannon, a senior-heavy squad, battled back to even the score at 11. The two teams continued to trade points, but the Golden Knights would break a 17-17 tie and never look back. GU scored the last seven points of the game to steal set two from DC 25-18.

Gannon secured the clean sweep by outscoring Daemen 20-4 after a 5-5 tie early on in the third and final set. The Lady Knights finished the match with 34 kills, 31 assists, nine blocks and seven aces while the Wildcats posted 26 kills, 25 assists, four blocks and one service ace.

Up next, the Wildcats participate in a tri-match hosted by St. Rose in Albany, N.Y. on Saturday, September 16. Daemen first faces off against Adelphi University at 1:00 p.m., followed by the host St. Rose at 3:00 p.m.

For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen women's volleyball team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenVB on Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Meghan Ballou: OH; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#8 Sydney MacInnis: S; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#7 Courtney Scanlan: OH; 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior

#3 Ali Greenwood: DS; 5' 6"; Freshman

#5 Jenn Heritz: MH; 6' 0"; Freshman

#10 Georgia Wicker: DS; 5' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#2 Meghan Ballou
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: OH

#8 Sydney MacInnis
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: S

#7 Courtney Scanlan
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior
: OH

#3 Ali Greenwood
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: DS

#5 Jenn Heritz
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: MH

#10 Georgia Wicker
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: DS