SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University volleyball team finished its 2024 season with a four-set (15-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-22) loss to Gannon University Saturday at Morrow Field House.
 
Slippery Rock ends the season with a 12-14 overall record and a 5-9 mark inside the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division. The Golden Knights will enter the upcoming PSAC Tournament as the top seed out of the Western Division at 21-6 overall and 13-1 in league matches.
 
On a day in which they were competing in their final collegiate matches, Slippery Rock's 2024 senior class of Erica Selfridge, Chelsie Wheeler, Aslyn Pry and Kate Lachendro-Biery all shined in the close defeat.
 
Playing in her 115th consecutive match, Selfridge turned in a 14-kill, 16-dig, two-ace performance. She ends her career ranked ninth in program history for kills (1,166), 12th in digs (1,413) and 15th in aces (121).
 
Wheeler started her eighth match of the season en route to producing 11 kills, a .273 attack percentage and one block. Wheeler, who leaves SRU 21st for blocks in a career (180), recorded 180 kills and 46 blocks in 2024 to become one of only five athletes in program history with at least 120 kills and 40 blocks for four consecutive seasons.
 
The newest member of The Rock's senior class, Pry closed her time at SRU in dominating fashion by tallying 10 kills on 12 attempts (.833) and coming away with three blocks. The Gannon match polishes off a career-year for the former Butler County Community College standout as Pry ends the season with 137 kills, 69 blocks and the fifth best attack percentage in the PSAC (.325).
 
As she has done for the near entirety of her career, Lachendro-Biery once again led Slippery Rock's defensive efforts by making a team-high 28 digs. SRU's all-time leader in digs, Lachendro-Biery's 2,157 career digs are also the 13th highest total in PSAC history.
 
Middle hitter Lauren VonderHaar not only had five kills Saturday, she also tacked on three blocks to increase her season total to 122 – the fifth most in single-season program history. VonderHaar will begin her senior year in 2025 ranked ninth in at The Rock for blocks in a career (258).
 
Rounding out SRU's offensive leaders against Gannon was Callie Chevalier and Marley Annis with nine and four kills, respectively.
 
Setters Jaeden Yost (26) and Paityn Krause (20) combined for 46 assists. Like VonderHaar, Yost also finds herself ranked among Slippery Rock's all-time best in her respective discipline as she is already ninth in program history for assists in a career.
 
To say SRU controlled the first set would be an understatement. Not only did The Rock rattle off five consecutive points to open the match they also secured an impressive 6-2 run midway through the set to stretch their lead out to 10 points at 18-8.
 
The Rock and Golden Knights went on to trade points for the remainder of the set before a Wheeler kill finalized a 25-15 win. The first-set victory was SRU's 15th such of the year.
 
However, Slippery Rock was unable to carry over its early momentum into the remainder of the match as GU bounced back for consecutive 25-16, 25-23, 25-22 victories to earn the comeback win.
 
Slippery Rock held team advantages over Gannon in both kills (56-44) and attack percentage (.165-.143), but had trouble navigating around the Golden Knights' formidable front line which combined for 18 total blocks – 16 of which came over the final three sets.
 
Lauren Atwell went for a match-high 10 blocks while Hailey Koch had 11 kills and eight blocks to lead Gannon.
 
While SRU will be without the services of its impressive four seniors, 10 athletes who appeared in at least 14 matches this season have eligibility remaining for the 2025 season.





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