SHIPPENSBURG –Despite trailing 2-0 in the match, the East Stroudsburg University volleyball team pushed Gannon to the brink as the Golden Knights defeated the Warriors in a back-and-forth five set PSAC semifinal match on Friday evening inside Heiges Field House on the campus of Shippensburg University. The set scores were 19-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 10-15.
If the Warriors fail to be selected for the NCAA Tournament on Monday's selection show at 7:30 p.m., ESU finished the 2023 season with an impressive 22-7 record overall which included a 17-match win streak from September 16 to November 4.
The Golden Knights (25-4), who are the defending PSAC champions, advanced to tomorrow's title match at 7 p.m. and face the winner of No. 1 (E) Shippensburg and No. 2 (W) Clarion.
Potentially playing their final match for the Warriors were graduate students and seniors
Claire Choloux,
Makayla Baca,
Kaitlin Bruchhauser,
Kaylee LoPresto,
Jasmin Perry and
Sydney Stone.
Notables vs. Gannon
- PSAC East Athlete of the Year Anna Coulter had a team-high 14 kills while matching her career-high with six blocks
- LoPresto tallied her sixth double-double of the season as the senior finished with 13 kills, 11 digs, three assists, two aces and a block
- Choloux notched her second consecutive double-double and fourth of the campaign as graduate student totaled 10 kills, a team and season-high 23 digs and one block
- First Team All-PSAC East setter Taylor Haan registered her fourth straight double-double, 11th of the season and was just short of a triple double as the junior posted 42 assists, 14 digs, a career-high five blocks and four kills. Haan continued to close in on the top-10 for career assists at ESU as the Phoenix native has 1,205 and counting.
- Stone added eight kills and four blocks while sophomore Ava Hunt finished with four kills and a career-high six blocks
- Baca recorded 19 digs, four assists and an ace while potentially ending her two-year ESU career with a stellar 947 digs. Junior Makaela McComas totaled 17 digs.
- Gannon was led by Hailey Koch with a match-high 22 kills while Journey Blevins (10 kills, 12 digs), Marta Roicka (22 assists, 13 digs), Emma Hall (28 digs, 11 assists) and Bengisu Arslan (28 assists, 16 digs) each had a double-double for the Golden Knights
- Stats were nearly identical in the back-and-forth match as the Gannon outhit ESU .172-.161 and served more aces (10-6), but the Warriors had the edge in blocks (13-10)
- ESU slipped to 25-19-3 all-time in the PSAC Tournament
How it Happened vs. Gannon
- With the score tied at 2-2, the Golden Knights went ahead at 5-3, 6-4 and 7-5 until back-to-back kills from ESU evened it up. The teams went back and forth over the next six points (10-10), but not before a 4-1 spurt by Gannon gave them a 14-11 lead. ESU answered back with three quick points to make the score 14-14, however the Golden Knight responded with a 3-0 run to regain a 17-14 edge. Out a timeout, the Warriors pulled within two points on multiple occasions (18-16, 19-17, 21-19), but Gannon wrapped up the set on a 4-0 run to grab a 1-0 edge in the match.
- Neither team was able to create much separation through the first 16 points as the score was even at 8-8 until the Golden Knights produced a 4-1 run to go up 12-9. ESU battled back with three of the next four points to pull within one, 13-12, but Gannon used a 3-0 to regain a 16-12 advantage. ESU produced a kill following a timeout, but the Golden Knights ripped off three straight points to stretch the lead to 19-13. The Warriors battled back with seven of the next 10 points to trim the deficit to 22-20, however Gannon finished off the set 25-21 to take a 2-0 advantage.
- After Gannon went ahead 2-0 in the third set, the Warriors scored seven of the next nine points to grab a 7-4 advantage. With ESU still up 10-7, the Golden Knights got within one (10-9), but not before two kills and an error helped the Warriors regain a 13-9 lead. Following a Gannon timeout, the Golden Knights settled in with a 5-2 run to trim ESU's advantage to 15-14, but three of the next four points went the Warriors way to make the score 18-15. The Golden Knights would get as close as 21-10, but ESU staved off elimination with a 4-0 run to win the set 25-20.
- ESU carried over momentum into the fourth set, jumping out in front 3-0 and 8-4 until a 4-0 run by Gannon knotted the score. The Golden Knights scored three of the next four points to grab an 11-9 lead, but a 4-0 spurt put the Warriors ahead 13-11. The set of runs continued as a 5-1 stretch by Gannon gave the Golden Knights a 16-14 edge, until a 4-2 spurt provided ESU a 18-17 advantage. The back and forth went on as three of the next four points were in favor of Gannon (20-19) but an ESU timeout assisted the Warriors to a 3-0 run and 22-20 lead. ESU ultimately won the frame 25-22 to force a winner-take-all fifth set.
- Gannon pounded on ESU early as the Golden Knights secured 3-0, 6-2 and 8-3 leads before the teams switched sides. Ultimately, Gannon held ESU at bay the rest of the way earning a 15-10 fifth set win and 3-2 victory in the match.
