Gaston Serves Way to AEC Women’s Volleyball Specialist of the Week
Lancaster, Pa. – (10/2/2023) – Gwynedd Mercy University sophomore setter
Ayanna Gaston (Middletown Del.) was named the
Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Women's Volleyball Specialist of the Week for her play during the Griffins' 2-2 week versus Penn State Berks (W, 3-1; 28-26, 26-24, 24-26, 25-18 on Sept. 27), Cairn University (L, 0-3; 20-25, 20-25, 19-25 on Sept. 28), Albright College (L, 2-3; 13-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 5-15 on Sept. 30), and Penn State Wilkes-Barre (W, 3-0; 25-12, 25-13, 25-18 on Sept. 30). Gaston supplied over 30 assists versus the first set of Nittany Lions and the Highlanders, before scoring 14 aces in a weekend tri-match at Albright College. She finished the week with 26 points; six kills, 119 assists, 15 aces, 31 digs, three solo blocks, and four block assists.
Gwynedd Mercy University (5-8) endured Penn State Berks (2-6) to a 3-1 (28-26, 26-24, 24-26, 25-18) finish in Wednesday evening's match thanks to a strong defensive effort at the net and timely runs. The Nittany Lions led the Griffins by a 16-10 spread midway through the first set. The tide turned with the serves of senior middle hitter
Ashley Brown (Lansdale, Pa.) and sophomore right side
Charlotte Pugh (Philadelphia, Pa.) as Gwynedd Mercy University raced out to a 20-18 edge before winning the late back-and-forth of an extended 28-26 finish. The second set was closer with neither side leading by more than three points. Fortunately, it ended in a similar fashion as the Griffins grabbed a 2-0 lead with a 26-24 win. Following a mirror finish in the third set, Gwynedd Mercy University secured the triumph with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. Gaston provided a kill, 32 assists, an ace, 10 digs, a solo block, and two block assists.
Gwynedd Mercy University finished a four-game homestand with Thursday evening's match versus Cairn University (6-5). The Highlanders took the first two sets by 25-20 finals, but in different fashions as they sprinted out to an 8-2 lead to grab the edge in the first set and broke away from the Griffins late in the second. In the third set, the Griffins controlled a 19-16 lead before a late rally precipitated the 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-19) Highlander victory. Gaston fed the Griffin offense with 34 assists. She also offered a kill, eight digs, and a block assist.
Gwynedd Mercy University traveled to Reading, Pennsylvania, for Saturday's tri-match action with Penn State Wilkes-Barre and host, Albright College. The Griffins faced the Lions first and took a 3-2 (25-13, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 15-5) loss to the home side despite impressive 25-21 and 25-22 victories in the third and fourth sets. Their record evened out for the afternoon with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-18) sweep of the Nittany Lions. Senior outside hitter
Bria Purnell (Reading, Pa.) played well in front of her home crowd with a team-high 19 kills on the day; her first was the 700th of her collegiate career. Gaston (15.5) gave the Lions fits on the serve with 11 aces. She also killed three balls and supplied 26 assists while making nine digs and her blocks. Later in the afternoon, Gaston scored three more aces against Penn State Wilkes-Barre; she also recorded two kills, 27 assists, and four digs in addition to her superb serves.
Gwynedd Mercy University competes next on Thursday, October 5, with a 7:00 p.m. match at Saint Elizabeth University.
