Gannon women's volleyball wins Atlantic Regional, claims berth in NCAA Division II Elite 8

WHEELING, W.Va. — After falling behind 2-0 on Thursday in the NCAA Division II first round, Gannon women's volleyball coach Matt Darling wasn't sure what to tell his team.

That's when the seniors took over in the huddle.

“The seniors said in the huddle that we weren't going out like this,” Darling said. “Once we got rolling, it was on.”

Gannon completed a run of nine straight set wins Saturday night to sweep top-seeded Wheeling and win the Atlantic Region title. The Golden Knights (31-6) move on to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight later this week in Tampa.

The Golden Knights completed an impressive 72-hour ride that went from their season potentially ending early despite high expectations to booking flights to Tampa. On Thursday, Gannon lost the first two sets 25-20 and 25-22 to East Stroudsburg before rallying 25-16, 25-7, 15-2 to survive the first round.

On Friday, Gannon rolled through West Virginia State 25-19, 25-20, 25-17 before another dominant win Saturday over Wheeling 25-18, 25-16, 25-18.

“It's an amazing feeling,” said Gannon redshirt senior Ashley Kerestes. “This is what you work your entire season and career for. Last year because of COVID-19 we didn't get a chance to make a run with a shortened season, but this comes from a lot of hard work. This moment speaks volumes to everything you go through as an athlete.”

Kerestes finished with 14 kills and five blocks on Saturday, while Lauren Sampson had 19 kills and five digs. Ashley McClung added 10 kills, and Emma Hall led the defense with 18 digs and Katie Becht added nine.

The biggest impact player, however, might have been Ashley Beyers with 44 assists.

“Offensively, we hit our stride and we have hitters everywhere but we had really smart distribution from our setter,” Darling said. “We had good balance in the first two matches where we exposed some matchups that we had an advantage in, but our fifth-year setter did great work all week. Our blocking was also very good with our timing all match.”

“It's amazing to win this regional with this team. We had some players back from last year and some new players to it's a great experience for everyone,” Beyers said. “We know we have a target on our backs but we like the pressure. It keeps us honest and helps push us to get better everyday.”