The Slippery Rock University volleyball team traveled to Mercyhurst on Friday night for a PSAC showdown, before taking on No. 23 ranked Gannon on Saturday afternoon. Slippery Rock enjoyed success on Friday night, as they rolled over the Lakers by a final score of 3-1. Unfortunately, The Rock could not keep the momentum going on Saturday as the Green and White fell to the star-studded Golden Knights by a final score of 3-0. After going 1-1 this past weekend, Slippery Rock’s record is now 7-12 overall, going 4-7 in conference play.
After coming off a tough loss in their previous game against Clarion, the Green and White looked to right the ship in a winnable game against Mercyhurst on Friday, Oct. 12. After a back and forth battle in the first set, which ultimately went to the latter, Slippery Rock settled in and stayed in control for the remainder of the match.
The Rock would go on to win the final three sets of the match by scores of 25-21, 25-12, and 25-22, respectively. The win improved Slippery Rock’s record to 3-1 in their last four games, which is the best four-match stretch since 2017, when The Rock started out 8-0. Slippery Rock has had Mercyhurst’s number as of late, registering victories in three of the last four matches. Friday night’s victory also gave SRU a lead in the all-time series against the Lakers, now holding a 9-8 advantage.
After securing a big win against Mercyhurst, Slippery Rock faced a much more difficult task on Saturday, taking on a Gannon squad who came into the match riding a nine-game winning streak. From start to finish, the Green and White had a tough time trying to upend the nationally ranked Golden Knights. Rock Volleyball fell in three sets to Gannon (25-18, 25-19, 25-13) on Saturday.
Even though SRU suffered a loss, there were certainly a few bright performances for the Green and White. Senior Shayla Ray and Erinn Kahoe added to their impressive 2018 campaigns, as Ray recorded eight kills and two blocks to go along with a .318 (8-1-22) while Kahoe racked up nine kills and an impressive .304 hitting percentage (9-2-23).
Junior Zoe Rivet handed out 24 assists as sophomore Jalyn Willard piled up a team-best 17 digs. Rivet, Kahoe and freshman Lauren Weber each served up an ace on Saturday as well.
Gannon was dominant in multiple categories on Saturday, as the Golden Knights outpaced The Rock in attack percentage (.257-.188), kills (43-27), aces (19-3). GU’s Lauren Sampson was a thorn in SRU’s side as well, producing 15 kills to go along with four aces.
The Rock volleyball team will return home on Friday, Oct. 19, to take on Bloomsburg University at 7 p.m. before welcoming Lock Haven University for a Saturday afternoon matchup at 1 p.m. The Rock will look to get back into the winning column, as they have performed at home this season, posting a respectable 3-2 record this season at Morrow Field House.
