GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -  The Davenport University women's volleyball team fell to No. 16 Gannon in a four-set match on Saturday at the DU Student Center, taking the victory with scores of 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 25-16.

DU began the opening set with a competitive edge, as Kaitlin Jordan tallied multiple kills early on, contributing to a close contest.  A tight back-and-forth battle saw Davenport briefly leading 12-11, but The Golden Knights capitalized on errors to close the set, securing a 25-21 advantage.

The second set opened with Davenport securing an early lead, capitalizing on attack errors by the Golden Knights and a service ace by Alan to go up 5-1. Madison Berry tacked up multiple assists early on, resulting in key kills from Kaitlyn Marsh and Sydney Swan, pushing the score to 13-7. As the set progressed, Gannon rallied to tie the score at 14-14 and eventually overtook Davenport, despite a late kill by Swan bringing the score to 23-21. Ultimately, Gannon closed out the set with a 25-21 victory.

In the third set, DU capitalized on a strong start with Marsh delivering an early kill, assisted by Berry, to set the tone holding a 3-0 lead. Alan and Tydings added critical points, supported by Berry's playmaking. Despite a Gannon rally that tied the score at 14-14, Davenport pulled away with a decisive run, highlighted by Karley Pretzer's four kills in the final stretch, sealing the set 25-19 with Marsh's clinching kill.

The fourth set began with Alan securing an early lead for the home team, scoring the opening point with a kill assisted by Carr. Despite a strong start, Davenport faced challenges as The Golden Knights launched a series of successful plays, including a significant run with kills from Nehir Yazicioglu, widening the gap to 17-12. Alan continued to be a key player for Davenport, contributing multiple kills, but Gannon ultimately closed the set with a 25-16 win, highlighted by a final kill from Yazicioglu.

Alan led Davenport with 15 kills and contributed 17 points over the four sets. Hayley Carr anchored the defense, recording a season-high 30 digs. Berry facilitated the offense with 43 assists while adding seven digs and two kills. Swan added eight kills and nine digs for the Panthers, while Jordan tallied eight kills and four digs.

Up Next
The Panthers will host Northern Michigan for its GLIAC opener next Friday (Sept. 19) at the DU Student Center in Grand Rapids, Mich.  at 5 p.m.