ERIE, Pa. — Edinboro lost to Gannon 3-0 (15-25, 19-25, 21-25) on Thursday. The Fighting Scots finished with 34 kills and a .087 hitting percentage, while the Golden Knights hit .337 with 40 kills.
The Scots were involved in a back-and-forth opening to the set, getting a
Taylor Pucky kill from
Anna Saldana, a
Makayla Neelands kill from
Faith Schneider, a
Christina Lockett block and a
Maggie Koster kill from
Grace Petro.
Reilly Parent added two kills as the teams continued to trade points, but Gabby Beaubrun served consecutive aces before Neelands and Koster answered with a kill and an ace for the Fighting Scots. The Golden Knights moved back in front with a Carlee Webber kill and consecutive Abbey Williams kills, while Petro's ace and later kills by DAira Whitner, Koster and Neelands kept the Scots scoring. A late Golden Knights stretch with Alexis Fowler serving was followed by the final three points on a Webber kill, an Ava Gainer ace and a Fighting Scots attack error as the Golden Knights took the set 25-15.
The Scots scored the first five points of the second set, with Neelands opening with a kill from Petro and then serving four straight points that included kills by
D'Aira Whitner and Petro plus a block by Whitner and Lockett. The Golden Knights worked back through kills by Sydney Wake and Abbey Williams, blocks involving Carlee Webber and Nehir Yazicioglu, and an Ava Gainer service ace during the middle of the set, while the Fighting Scots answered in spots with swings from Whitner, Pucky and Koster. Parent added a service ace late, and Neelands extended the set with a kill after Gannon scored on a Nehir Yazicioglu kill and a Fighting Scots attack error, but the Golden Knights closed on a block by Gainer and Webber for a 25-19 set win.
Lockett gave the Scots the first point of the third set, but the Golden Knights won seven of the next eight rallies during a stretch that included kills by Sydney Wake and Abbey Williams and a Brooke Gwiazda block. Neelands' kill started a six-point Fighting Scots answer, and with Neelands serving the next five points, the Scots added a Whitner kill from Petro and a Lockett block. Gannon took the next three rallies on a Williams kill, an Ella Woltman kill and a Williams ace, then stayed in front as Wake and Woltman continued to finish swings. The Fighting Scots got within 23-21 on Koster's kill and Pucky's block of Ava Gainer, but Woltman put away the final two kills to give the Golden Knights the set, 25-21.
Whitner led the Scots with nine kills and added one block assist. Neelands finished with eight kills and six digs. Petro recorded 16 assists, one kill and one service ace. Schneider collected a team-high 14 digs and added two assists.
The Fighting Scots make their home debut on Tuesday when they host Salem at 6 p.m. inside McComb Fieldhouse.
