ERIE, PA - The Elizabeth City State volleyball team put on one of their best performances in the post-season since 2008 but fell short to Gannon University in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional quarterfinals on Friday night in the Highmark Events Center. 

THE BASICS:
Location: Highmark Events Center, Gannon University; 2022 Volleyball Championships - Round One (Atlantic Regional quarterfinals)  
Set Scores: 22-25, 19-25, 10-25 -Gannon Univ.
Records: ECSU (26-9, 16-1 CIAA); Gannon (27-5, 15-1 PSAC)

POST-GAME PRESSER:
(w) Head Coach David Brooks, Right-side Hitter/Setter Elizabeth Kellum
 elizabeth city state presser.mp4




How It Happened
The Vikings maintained a steady pace and opened their first scoring situations from a bad set by Gannon allowing the team to handle the regional number one seed head on kill-for-kill. Subsequently, good serving and placement helped give the Vikings a chance to capture the first tie of the match at 8-8. Gannon would lead on to secure a 6-2 run over the Vikings but not before the ladies picked up a 9-4 run of their own pushing Gannon to call a timeout at 16-12. The Vikings would go on to tie the set one more time before they were plagued by a series of errors that lifted the Knights to 21-18. The Vikings found a way to respond two back-to-back kills from ALL-CIAA second team member Victoria White and CIAA Tournament MVP Elizabeth Kellum giving the Vikings some wiggle room at 22-23. Two more consecutive errors would slide Gannon past the Vikings to finalize the first set 25-22. 

Junior right-side hitter/setter Elizabeth Kellum aided the Vikings' attacking response from a close first set with six of the team's 13 second set kills. The Jacksonville, NC native backed an additional effort on defense posting seven of her 10 digs in the second set. The Vikings were unable to muster a tie between the teams, but did not waiver in keeping pressure from the service line. six service aces left the hands of Portia Strasburg, Kayleigh Sullivan and CIAA All-Tournament team member Jada Rouse. Two kills from Victoria White and Jada Rouse helped put the Vikings in lead-changing position only trailing the Knights 9-10, but a pair of kills from Gannon followed by two ECSU attack errors and a combo of kills from the Knights created the Vikings largest deficit of the night at 11-17. Some life was reestablished in the Vikings offense as Victoria White secured three straight kills off an attack error by Gannon marking the Vikings with in three points of the Knights at 17-20. The Vikings made their final attempt to take the lead with a big block from three-time CIAA Player of the Week and CIAA Defensive Player of the Week Clarke Blakemore giving the Vikings some cushion at 19-22. Gannon secured the set with two final kills and an ace 25-19. 

In the final set, the Vikings displayed great situational awareness in moving the ball beyond the net as Gannon held a height advantage in the net game; Gannon would go on to showcase why that advantage was relevant. The Knights would amass 13 of the teams 16 third set kills from their 6-foot plus outside hitters to hold the Vikings to a 6-19 ball game. The Vikings would try to answer back from Gannon's 13-0 run but were only able to make advances from a Gannon service error and three kills from Elizabeth Kellum and Clarke Blakemore. The Knights closed out the final set advancing to the regional semifinals with a series of errors from the Vikings making the final set 25-10.  

The Vikings end their 2022 season amassing 16 conference wins, seven road wins, nine neutral site wins, securing a 10-1 record at home.