CALIFORNIA (Oct. 24) – Despite winning the opening two sets against league-leading Clarion, the Vulcans suffered a 3-2 loss (25-27, 25-14, 25-23, 31-29, 23-21) against the Golden Eagles on Friday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action at the Convocation Center.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team falls to 20-7 overall with a 12-4 mark in league play. Meanwhile, Clarion improves to 24-2 this season behind a 15-1 record in conference action. The Vulcans have been the only team in the PSAC to defeat the Golden Eagles this season, earning a 3-0 victory at Clarion on Sept. 27.

Senior Laurel Miller (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) registered her 13th kill/dig double-double of the season, finishing with 17 kills and 20 digs. Junior Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) set a season high with 14 kills on a .273 hitting percentage, while classmate Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham) and sophomore Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) both finished with 10 kills. Sophomore Kristen Scurpa (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) tallied her first assist/dig double-double this year after posting 38 assists and 15 digs, both season highs. Classmate Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) added 19 assists and nine digs in the losing effort.

Junior Samantha Rudy (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) paced the defensive effort with a season-high 39 digs. In addition to Miller and Scurpa, freshman Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and Hayes collected 17 and 11 digs, respectively, against the Golden Eagles. Fouzie controlled the net with 10 blocks and three other players added at least five blocks.

In the deciding set, the teams combined for 12 lead changes and 20 ties. The teams traded points early in the set before Clarion won four of five points to take an 8-6 lead. The Vulcans answered by winning four of the next five points to take a 10-9 lead. Cal U later won four of six points to take a 14-13 lead, forcing Clarion into a timeout while facing match point. The Golden Eagles answered by winning back-to-back points and took a 15-14 lead before an attack error evened the score. The teams traded the next four points before Cal U won consecutive points and Clarion answered with a kill while facing another match point. The teams counted by trading five additional points with the Vulcans eventually taking a 21-20 lead on a kill by redshirt freshman Rachel Snyder (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley). Clarion responded by winning three-straight points to earn the match victory with a 23-21 win in the fifth set.

Cal U opened the first set by winning five-straight points before Clarion answered with an 11-0 run to take an 11-5 lead. The Vulcans answered with a 5-2 run to trim the deficit to 13-11 before the Golden Eagles later claimed four-consecutive points to take a 19-14 lead. Cal U managed to win six of the next seven points and tied the score at 20-20 on a block assist by Lavery and Fouzie. The Golden Eagles and Vulcans would each stave off set points before Cal U won the last three points to earn a 27-25 victory.

Early in the second set, the Vulcans mounted an 8-1 rally to take an 11-5 lead on a solo block by Miller. Cal U later won eight of 11 points to stretch the lead to 23-13 after a bad set by Clarion. The Vulcans eventually claimed a 25-14 win on a service ace by sophomore Cheyenne Rose (Lancaster, Ohio/Harvest Preparatory). In the second set, Cal U finished with only three attack errors while Clarion finished with a negative-.045 hitting percentage.

Clarion opened the third set with an 11-4 run before Cal U won five of the next points to trim the deficit to 13-9 on a kill by Miller. The Vulcans later won six of seven points to tie the score at 15-15 after Fouzie and Lavery registered back-to-back block assists. Following a service error, Cal U won four of five points to take a 19-17 lead on a kill by Lavery. After calling a timeout, the Golden Eagles won four of the next five points to reclaim the lead before the teams traded the next six points. Clarion closed the set with a 25-23 victory after hitting at a .286 clip.

In the fourth set, Cal U won the opening three points before Clarion setter Laura Subject, the reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Year, left the match due to injury. The Vulcans later claimed five of seven points to take a 9-4 lead on a kill by Miller before the Golden Eagles eventually countered with four-straight points to trim the deficit to 12-11. Cal U responded with three-straight points to take a 15-11 lead before Clarion called a timeout and Subject reentered the match. The Golden Eagles later twice won four-consecutive points to eventually take a 23-21 lead. Cal U later staved off set point with back-to-back kills to tie the score at 24-24. The Vulcans and Golden Eagles each won back-to-back points before the teams traded the next five points with the score tied at 29-29 on a block assist by Miller and Fouzie. However, Clarion won consecutive points to earn a 31-29 win to tie the match score.

The Vulcans continue their weekend homestand tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 25, when they host IUP at 1 p.m.

Note: The match served as the program's annual Dig Pink event with Cal U players wearing pink ribbons in their hair. Clarion also wore pink jerseys for the match.