ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 17) – In a match that featured nearly 50 ties and 20 lead changes, the Vulcans claimed a 3-2 win (25-22, 25-27, 21-25, 29-27, 17-15) at Mercyhurst on Friday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team improves to 20-5 overall and extends its winning streak to 13 matches. The Vulcans remain in a tie for second place in the divisional standings with a 12-2 mark with eight matches left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 14-8 this season behind a 9-5 record in league action.

Senior Laurel Miller (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) registered her 12th kill/dig double-double of the season, leading the team with 18 kills on a season-high 61 attempts and adding 15 digs. Freshman Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and sophomore Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) finished with 14 and 12 kills, respectively, and junior Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham) tallied nine kills in the victory. Sophomore Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) engineered the offense with 45 assists and freshman Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) contributed 13 assists.

Junior Samantha Rudy (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) recorded a match-high 26 digs and collected five service aces. In addition, Leto and Litoborski each finished with nine digs. At the net, Fouzie and fellow junior Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) both totaled seven blocks and Hayes added six blocks.

Early in the first set, Mercyhurst won six of seven points to take a 10-7 lead before later winning four of five points to take a 14-10 lead. The Vulcans responded with an 8-3 run to take an 18-17 lead following an attacking error by the Lakers. Mercyhurst countered by winning four of six points before Cal U rallied to win four-straight points, including two-straight service aces by Rudy, and later won the match 25-22 on a kill by Miller.

The second set featured a dozen ties while both teams posted hitting percentages of over .275. The Vulcans won four-straight points early in the set before the Lakers responded with a 10-3 rally to claim a 16-12 lead. Cal U countered by claiming six of the next eight points to tie the game at 18-18 on an attacking error. The teams then traded 4-2 runs to keep the match tied at 24-24 before Mercyhurst won three of the next four points to post a 27-25 victory.

Early In the third set, Cal U won seven of 10 points to take a 12-11 lead following back-to-back attacking errors. The teams then traded points before Mercyhurst later won five of six points to take a 20-17 lead. Following a timeout, the Vulcans won three-straight points to tie the score at 20-20 before the Lakers countered by claiming five of the next six points to earn a 25-21 win.

The Vulcans hit at an impressive .304 clip and totaled 17 kills in the fourth set. Mercyhurst won six of eight points early in the set to take a 9-5 lead and later stretched its lead to 13-8. The Vulcans countered with a 6-2 run to cut the deficit to 15-14 on a block assist by Hayes and Leto. Mercyhurst then won five of the next seven points to take a 20-16 lead before Cal U answered with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 21-21 on back-to-back service aces by Rudy. The Lakers claimed the next three points before the Vulcans tied the match at 24-24 while facing match point on three-straight serves. Cal U again faced match point while trailing 26-25 before winning four of the next five points, finishing with a 29-27 win on an attack error.

In the fifth set, Cal U won seven-consecutive points after Mercyhurst opened play with three-straight points. The teams traded the next six points before the Lakers won four of five points to trim the deficit to 11-10. After Cal U won back-to-back points, Mercyhurst claimed the next four points to take a 14-13 lead. The Vulcans then won consecutive points before the Lakers prevented match point on a kill; however, Cal U followed with back-to-back kills by Lavery and Miller to finish with the 17-15 victory.

Cal U continues play in Erie, Pennsylvania, tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 18, when it faces Gannon at 2 p.m.