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WHEELING, W.Va. (Nov. 30) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team will play in its seventh-consecutive Atlantic Regional Championship following a 3-1 victory (25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18) against Gannon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening.

With the win, the third-seeded Vulcans improve to 30-7 this season to mark their seventh 30-win campaign in the last eight years. In a rematch of last year's regional championship, Cal U will face the top seed and host Wheeling Jesuit tomorrow night, Saturday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. The Cardinals advanced to the finals after rallying to a 3-2 win (23-25, 25-18, 19-25, 26-24, 15-10) over Clarion on Friday night.

Senior Ana Almeida (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Colegio Promove) established career highs with 16 kills and 23 digs against the Golden Knights, as she registered her first career double-double. She entered the match with a combined 21 kills over her last seven matches, highlighted by nine kills in yesterday's win over Shippensburg.

Classmate Brandy Harris (Bedford, Pa./Bedford) tallied her second double-double of the NCAA Tournament, finishing with 13 kills and 16 digs on Friday. She has combined for 33 kills and 29 digs in the last two matches.

Senior middle hitter Meghan Franz (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) added 12 kills on a .357 hitting percentage, while fellow senior Bridget Bielich (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) posted eight kills while hitting at a team-high .412 clip.

The duo of junior Abbey Freund (Cottage Grove, Wis./Monona Grove) and senior Kelly Fromknecht (Erie, Pa./McDowell) combined for 45 assists. Fromknecht also totaled three service aces and six blocks, while Freund posted eight digs. Junior libero Molly Delaney (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) recorded 18 digs on Friday, while freshman Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) finished with six kills and tied her season high of eight blocks.

Cal U opened the match with a 25-20 victory in the first set after winning the last five points. Leading 5-4, the Vulcans won four of the next six points to take an 11-7 lead before the Golden Knights countered with three-straight points to trim the deficit to 11-10. Cal U answered with a 3-1 run capped by a kill from Bielich to take a 14-11 lead before Gannon cut the lead down to one point. With a 15-14 lead, the Vulcans seized control of the set by winning four of the next five points to take a 19-15 lead. Gannon answered with a 5-2 run before Cal U closed the set by earning the last four points, 25-20.

The Golden Knights evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 win in the second set despite six kills by Almeida. Trailing by two points early in the set, Gannon mounted a 7-1 rally to take an 11-7 lead before Cal U won four of the next five points to trim the deficit to 12-11. The Vulcans later reclaimed the lead at 17-15 before the Golden Knights seized control of the set with seven-consecutive points en route to the 25-23 victory.

Cal U posted a .341 hitting percentage in the third set, as it took a 2-1 lead in the match following a 25-19 win. The Vulcans opened the set on a 5-2 run before the Golden Knights tied the score at 5-5. Cal U then won the next five points while mounting a 10-3 rally to claim a 15-8 lead on a kill by Almeida. The two teams traded points before the Golden Knights earned six-straight points to cut the deficit to 22-18. Cal U responded by winning three of the next four points, including the last two on kills by Franz.

The Vulcans hit at an impressive .351 clip in the fourth set while clinching the match victory with a 25-18 win. Gannon opened the set with a 7-3 run, forcing Cal U into its first timeout. The teams then traded points before the Vulcans called their final timeout while trailing 11-7. Following the break, Cal U won the next three points and mounted a 6-1 rally to take a 15-12 lead. After the teams traded points, the Vulcans won four-straight points to take a 23-16 lead before the Golden Knights countered with a pair of points. Cal U then clinched the match following back-to-back kills from Franz and Almeida.

Gannon finishes the year with a 29-6 overall record after winning the first PSAC Championship in program history.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Nov. 29
Match 1 - (3) California (Pa.) d. (6) Shippensburg, 3-1 (26-24, 25-27, 25-18, 25-18)
Match 2 - (2) Gannon d. (7) Mercyhurst, 3-1 (25-13, 20-25, 26-14, 25-23)
Match 3 - (4) Clarion d. (5) Lock Haven, 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-23)
Match 4 - (1) Wheeling Jesuit d. (8) Fayetteville State, 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-10)

Friday, Nov. 30
Match 5 - (3) California (Pa.) d. (2) Gannon, 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18)
Match 6 - (1) Wheeling Jesuit d. (4) Clarion, 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 19-25, 26-24, 15-10)

Saturday, Dec. 1
Match 7 - (3) California (Pa.) vs. (1) Wheeling Jesuit, 7 p.m.