Gannon University Athletics - Gannon Volleyball Heads to Atlantic Regional at California (Pa.) this Weekend

Gannon Volleyball Heads to Atlantic Regional at California (Pa.) this Weekend

Coach Matt Darling has led the Knights to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 14 years.

Brian Vail, Graduate Assistant Sports Information

11/18/2009 9:52:50 AM

ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon volleyball team travels to California (Pa.) for NCAA Tournament action. The Lady Knights take on Wheeling Jesuit Thursday. The match is set for a 5 p.m. start at Hamer Hall.

90.5 WERG-FM will broadcast the contest live on the radio. The Internet broadcast can be found at http://www.gannon.edu/athletics/werg/knightsound.html.

The Lady Knights finished the regular season fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division, going 13-6 in conference play. GU went 22-9 overall, its best mark since 1995. GU qualified for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since that same season.

Wheeling Jesuit won the regular season and tournament championships in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). The Cardinals come into the tournament on a 25-match win streak, having gone 35-5 overall in 2009. WJU features consecutive conference players of the year in Catie Halberstadt and Keysha Allison. Allissa Ware was also named WVIAC freshman of the year this season.

Gannon beat Wheeling in five sets September 12 at the PSAC-WVIAC Crossover in Erie. WJU took the first set before GU won the next two. After the Cardinals tied the match, the Knights won 15-6 in the decisive fifth frame.

GU leads the all-time series 4-3, but Wheeling won a five-set match at home over the Knights in the 2008 season. Knight outside hitter Lauren Sazama (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) has 76 aces, most of any player in the conference. Kara Cullen (Marstons Mills, Mass./Barnstable) averaged a league-high 1.16 blocks a set. Wheeling hit a WVIAC-high .260 as team and contained opponents to a .125 hitting percentage, best in the conference.

The winner of the WJU-Gannon contest advances to the regional semifinals Friday to face the winner of the Chowan (NC)-Cal match. California is the host and top seed in the Atlantic. The Vulcans have won the region each of the past two seasons before falling in the fourth round both times.

On the other side of the bracket, Clarion takes on Edinboro and Lock Haven meets Mercyhurst in first-round action.

Aug

September 2010

Oct

Fri, Sep. 03, 2010

Women's Volleyball
vs University of Findlay
L 1-3 (23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-19) Recap

Women's Volleyball
at Davis & Elkins College
7 p.m.

View Full Schedule

Athletes of the Week

Drew Deimel

Men's Golf

Deimel earned the final 2009-10 Gannon male athlete-of-the-week honor by qualifying for the 2010 NCAA Division II National Men's Golf Championship May 18-21 at The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Indiana. The junior did so after finishing tied for sixth at the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional last week at the Glade Springs Resort in Daniels, West Virginia. He is the first Gannon golfer to qualify for the national championship since current head coach Dave Patronik played in the 2003 event as a freshman.Deimel secured the last individual spot with a five-over-par 77 during the final round. He completed the regional with a three-round total of nine-over-par 225. Deimel opened the tournament with a three-over-par 75 during the first round, totaled a one-over-par 73 during the second round, before completing the event with a five-over-par 77. The junior opened the third round with an even-par 36 on the back nine, before turning around and scoring a five-over-par 41 on the front nine. He finished the day with 10 pars, two birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey - his first and only of the regional. The Erie, Pa., native recorded back-to-back birdies on the par-3, 180-yard 13th hole and the par-4, 384-yard 14th hole during the last day. It marked the first time Deimel had birdied either hole that week. He previously birdied the par-5, 501-yard 12th hole and the par-4, 420-yard 16th hole during each of the first two rounds. Deimel was one of four golfers who qualified for the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional as an individual. He is the first Gannon golfer to be invited to an NCAA regional since Patronik played in the 2006 NCAA Division II Great Lakes/South Central Regional as a senior.

Taryn Millerd

Women's Lacrosse

Millerd captured the final 2009-10 Gannon female athlete-of-the-week honor by breaking the school scoring record for women's lacrosse. The senior midfielder recorded 12 goals, one assist, 13 points, one game-winning goal, two ground balls, three draw controls and one caused turnover during two matches in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament last week. She opened the tourney with seven goals during a 15-9 victory at Mercyhurst in the quarterfinals. Millerd then added five scores during a late 19-18 loss at West Chester in the semifinals. Against the Golden Rams, she became Gannon's all-time leader in goals with 221. Millerd finished her collegiate career third all-time at Gannon in points (287) and ninth in assists (66).

What Gannon home football game are you most excited about attending?

Lake Erie - September 2
Mercyhurst - October 2
California (Pa.) - October 9
Indiana (Pa.) - October 23 (Homecoming)
Clarion - October 30
Kutztown - November 13

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