PSAC Tournament Page

EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University, which last week secured its first PSAC tournament berth since 2008, begins postseason play Tuesday night with a trip to top-seeded and nationally-ranked Gannon in the quarterfinal round.

The Warriors (20-10, 10-8 PSAC) are the only team to defeat the Golden Knights (28-1, 17-1 PSAC) all season, as they triumphed 3-0 when the sides met at Koehler Fieldhouse on Sept. 14. Tuesday's playoff contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Gannon, ranked No. 21 in the latest AVCA Division II Coaches' poll released on Monday, has won 17 straight since that setback, earning sweeps in 11 of those victories. The Golden Knights advanced to the DII Final Four a year ago, and are looking to claim their third PSAC championship.

ESU has four conference titles in program history, with the most-recent coming during a stretch of three straight from 1985-87. The Warriors have won 20 games in a season for the first time since 2006 and just the second time since 1997, building on a 17-13 campaign during head coach Kevin Rodgers' first season at the helm last fall.

Junior Jasmine Williams, junior Sarah Smith and senior Tina Predojevic are among the Warriors responsible for that success, with each ranked at or near the top of the PSAC rankings in several categories.

Williams leads the PSAC and entered the weekend 14th in all of Division II at 1.30 blocks per set. Her 125 blocks overall are two shy of Caitlin Kuhn's single-season program record which was established in 2008. Williams is also third on ESU with 163 kills on the year, and she tops the team with a .273 attack percentage.

The Warriors have dominated at the net for a majority of the season, leading the PSAC and ranking in the top 10 nationally at 2.54 blocks per set. ESU has out-blocked opponents in 25 of 30 matches, doing so by a 7-3 margin in its regular season win over Gannon. Redshirt sophomore Trea-sure Ketter (1.08/set) and freshman Kailyn Pyle (0.98/set) are also in the top 10 among conference blockers, ranking fourth and eighth, respectively.

Smith has been the team's top attack threat throughout the fall, leading the PSAC in points per set (4.55) and ranking second in kills per set (3.99). A third team All-PSAC performer last season, she has 37 career double-doubles, including 18 this season. Smith has recorded 10+ kills in 26 of 30 contests, and she has hit over 25 percent on 19 occasions.

Predojevic is second among PSAC players with 0.47 aces per set while serving as the team's primary setter. She has 1,052 assists this season, totaling 30+ in 15 of 18 conference matches, and 2,191 assists in her Warrior career.

Other contributors for ESU include freshman Andrea Coyle (187 kills, 172 digs), freshman Emily Meredith (473 digs) and junior Sam Dunphy (153 kills, 162 digs, 77 blocks. Dunphy and Pyle have both been recently sidelined by injuries, allowing Ketter and freshman Jasmine Mooney to see increased playing time. Meredith has collected double-digit digs in 24 of the last 25 contests as the team's primary libero.

Gannon has held opponents to a .100 attack percentage this season, a total which leads the PSAC and is in the top five nationally. The Golden Knights are also proficient on the service line, firing in 2.36 aces per set to rank third in DII entering last weekend.

Primary setter Ashley Beyers leads the PSAC with 54 aces, while Ashley McClung (.316) and Lexi Johnson (.309) each have hitting rates over 30 percent.

ESU has won two straight meetings against Gannon, winning 3-0 this season and 3-1 during their contest at Erie last fall. The Warriors are 7-4 against teams which qualified for the DII national tournament in 2017.

The winner of Tuesday's matchup advances to play the winner between No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown and No. 5 California in a PSAC semifinal on Friday. The semifinals and final will be held at the site of the highest-remaining seed after Tuesday's contests.