The Slippery Rock University’s women’s volleyball team (11-19(3-15) lost its two final games of the season on Friday against the Gannon University Golden Knights (26-5(15-3) and on Saturday against Mercyhurst University (11-18(6-12). Both games took place in Erie, PA with the game against Gannon being played at the Hammerill Center and the game against Mercyhurst being played at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
SRU’s first game ended in three sets (25-19, 25-17, 25-23) against Gannon University on Friday night. SRU was leading at one point during the first set by the score of 5-2 but the Golden Knights went on a run outscoring The Rock 19-11. Gannon scored four of the last seven points in the contest winning the first set 25-19.
After the contest’s second set was tied two apiece, Gannon went on an 8-0 run making the score 10-2. SRU rebounded with a 5-0 run making the score 10-7. Slippery Rock’s hopes of winning the second set came up short however as the Golden Knights would go on to outscore the Green and White 15-12.
The closest set of the match came in the third and final set. SRU had the lead at ten different times in this set. SRU opened the set with a 2-0 lead, but would lose the lead and trailed at one point when Gannon went on a 9-3 run and led by a score of 9-5. SRU took back the lead later and was ahead by a score of 16-14. The two teams would go back and forth between who maintained the lead and towards the end The Rock led 23-22. The Green and White’s efforts did not allow them to pull out the win as Gannon pulled came out victorious by a score of 25-23.
Senior defensive specialist Courtney Oberlander recorded 13 digs in the loss. Slippery Rock sophomore setter Zoe Rivet recorded 11 assists leading The Rock in assists. Sophomore outside hitter Kaley Fucci of Slippery Rock led her team in kills with eight.
Freshman setter Ashley Beyers led Gannon in assists with 45 and senior defensive specialist Sarah Crandell led the Golden Knights in digs with 15.
SRU lost in three sets earlier this season to the Gannon Golden Knights back on October 21st. SRU has now lost 18 games in a row to Gannon and has not beaten them since 2008.
Slippery Rock played its season finale on Saturday in Erie, PA resulting in a 3-1 loss to the Mercyhurst University Lakers. After winning the first set 25-22, Mercyhurst lost the next set to SRU by a score of 31-29. Mercyhurst went on to win the next two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-14.
SRU sophomore Zoe Rivet led her team in assists with 17 assists. Senior defensive specialist Courtney Oberlander led SRU in digs with 21. In the game against Mercyhurst, Oberlander broke the Slippery Rock single-season record for digs in a season with 665 on the year. Last year she set the team single-season record for digs in a season with 648.
Senior setter Abby Rose led the Mercyhurst Lakers in assists with 30 and freshman libero Hannah Vuylsteke led the Lakers in digs with 24.
Those two games wrapped up competition for the Rock, who finishes with a 3-15 record in conference play. After starting the season 8-0, SRU dropped 19 of its’ final 22 contests to finish with an 11-19 overall record.
