ERIE, Pa.- For the first time since 2022, the West Chester University women's volleyball team (19-9, 7-7) is preparing for a PSAC Quarterfinal as the Golden Rams will head West later today for a Quarterfinal clash at top-seed Gannon (22-6, 13-1) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Highmark Events Center in Erie.
West Chester at Gannon
Match Details: November 18 I 7 P.M.
Location: Highmark Events Center (Erie, Pa.)
Series: 0-14
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Fan Information
Fans are advised that there are road closures along the Erie Bayfront, which will impact traffic arriving to the Highmark Events Center. Fans are encouraged to use 12
th Street for the best access to Gannon's campus. More information on the new traffic pattern in place is available
here.
Tickets are required for Tuesday's quarterfinal and should be purchased via this
link. Prices are $12 for adults and $7 for students K-12, with free admission for students from PSAC Member Institutions with a valid, current ID. Complimentary tickets are not available. All sales are cashless.
How They Got Here
West Chester returns to the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2022 on the strength of an excellent regular season, which saw the team go 19-9 overall and 7-7 in league action with a mark of 11-3 in Hollinger and a record of 8-6 away from its home University Avenue. Midway through the first weekend of conference action, West Chester was an impressive 11-2 overall and 2-0 in league play before suffering its first league loss of the year to East Stroudsburg on October 4. The Golden Rams bounced back with a three-match winning streak and eventually finished October at 16-6 overall and 5-4 in league play. West Chester opened November with its first road win at Shepherd (3-1) since 2010 to bolster its PSAC Tournament prospects before wrapping up non-league action with a win over Pace and posting a crucial 3-1 win over Kutztown, which eventually proved to be the win that sent West Chester back to the PSAC Tournament with a season sweep of the Golden Bears. West Chester gave East Stroudsburg all it could handle in its home finale, falling to the Warriors by a 3-2 final before falling to Bloomsburg and Lock Haven on the road last weekend, ending the regular season on a three-game losing streak.
Flock Talk
Zoe Haines (York, Pa./York Suburban) led West Chester in kills with 303, while
Abiah Lane (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) is second with 271 kills, while also ranking second in aces with 34, trailing only
Lacie Brown (Cochranville, Pa./Avon Grove), who leads the team with 49. Brown also leads the squad in assists with 971 and is second in digs with 241, trailing only
Elianna Freeman (Houston, Texas/Jersey Village) and her 276 digs.
Julia Kwitchoff (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) is first in blocks with 80, followed by
CeCe Isenberg (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) with 58, and Haines with 51.
Programming Note
For the first time in recent memory, the PSAC Volleyball Tournament features Quarterfinal round crossover matchups, as the PSAC East and West will meet in the Quarterfinals in all sports in 2025, after previously meeting in the semifinals.
PSAC Tournament History
West Chester will make its 14
th PSAC Tournament appearance in program history on Tuesday night as the Golden Rams look to reach the PSAC Semifinals for the fourth time in program history and the first since 2017, when the team advanced to the semis for the second time in four seasons. West Chester is making its first PSAC Tournament appearance since a 2022 Quarterfinal loss at Shepherd, which ended a back-to-back streak for the Golden Rams, as the team also qualified in 2021.
Series History
West Chester is 0-14 against Gannon since 2009 and has not faced the Golden Knights since an October 2019 clash in Erie, which the Golden Knights captured by a 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-17) final. West Chester has faced the Golden Knights in the PSAC Tournament before, with the last such meeting a 2017 semifinal loss in Erie, 3-0.
Scouting Gannon
Gannon enters the PSAC Tournament at 22-6 overall, 13-1 in league play, and an impressive 9-1 at home after ending the regular season on a two-game winning streak overall and a two-game home winning streak with a 3-2 Senior Day victory over Clarion on Saturday afternoon. Against Clarion in its regular-season finale, Gannon won the first set 25-15 before dropping the second 26-24, but won the third 25-14 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Golden Eagles fought back and stole the fourth set 25-20, but Gannon would not be upset on Senior Day, winning the fifth 15-7 to hold on for the 3-2 victory. Kasey Smith led the team in kills with 18, along with 14 from Lauren Atwell. The duo also ranked first and second in blocks with seven and five, while Bengisu Arsla led the team in assists with 54, and Nehir Zazicioglu tied with Sydney Wake and Alexis Fowler for the team lead in digs with 19 each.
The PSAC Champions in two of the last three seasons and the runner-up a season ago, Gannon heads into the PSAC Tournament as one of the top teams in the PSAC West once again. Sydney Wake leads the team in kills with 263, while Abbey Williams is second with 247. Wake is also second in blocks with 62, while Lauren Atwell is first with 95. Alexis Fowler leads the group in digs with 420, followed by Williams with 264. Arslan is first on the team in assists with 1,107 and aces with 40, while Williams is second with 38 aces of her own at the end of the regular season.
With a Win
With an upset victory over Gannon, West Chester would return to the PSAC Semifinals for the first time since 2017, the last time the Golden Rams appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
