CALIFORNIA (Oct. 14) – In its final non-conference match of the regular season, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team posted a 3-0 victory (25-20, 25-20, 25-15) against Shepherd on Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team improves to 19-5 overall behind a 7-1 mark at home. The Vulcans also extended their winning streak to 12 matches after losing four of seven matches in mid-September. Meanwhile, Shepherd falls to 14-7 this season after entering play having won six of its last seven matches.

Senior Laurel Miller (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and sophomore Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) both totaled a match-high 10 kills with Hayes registering a .412 hitting percentage. Freshman Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) also added six kills in the victory. Sophomore Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) and freshman Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) directed the offense with 18 and 12 assists, respectively, against the Rams.

Junior Samantha Rudy (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) led the team with eight digs and Miller finished with seven digs. Leto and Litoborski each tallied six digs, while five other players added two digs in the win. Hayes finished with five blocks at the net and closed the match with 14.5 points.

Cal U opened the first set by winning five of seven points before Shepherd rallied to tie the score at 7-7.The Vulcans responded with a 7-2 run to take a 14-9 lead on a kill by Miller before the Rams won three-straight points after calling a timeout. Cal U later won three-straight points before Shepherd countered with four-consecutive points to trim the deficit to 18-17. The Vulcans closed the set by winning seven of the last 10 points to earn a 25-20 victory.

In the second set, both teams won three-straight points before Shepherd took an 8-6 lead. The Vulcans seized control of the set with a 12-1 rally, including eight-straight points, to take an 18-9 lead on a kill by Hayes. The teams traded points before Shepherd claimed seven of eight points to trim the deficit to 22-18. The Vulcans eventually posted a 25-20 win after the last four points of the set were earned due to attacking errors.

Cal U won four of the opening five points in the third set before later winning four-straight points to take a 9-4 lead. The Rams countered by claiming four of five points to trim the deficit to 10-8 before the Vulcans mounted a sizeable 11-1 run to stretch their lead to 21-9 on a block assist by Hayes and redshirt freshman Rachel Snyder (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley). Shepherd won five of the next seven points to cut the deficit to 23-14 before Cal U later capped the 25-15 victory on a kill by junior Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham).

The Vulcans return to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action this weekend with a pair of matches in Erie, Pennsylvania, beginning Friday, Oct. 17, against Mercyhurst at 7 p.m.