CALIFORNIA (Oct. 3) – Despite dropping the first set on Friday night, the Vulcans bounced back to register a 3-1 win (20-25, 25-16, 25-13, 25-13) against Slippery Rock at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball improves to 12-5 overall behind a 6-2 mark in league play. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock falls to 11-5 this season with a 5-3 record in conference action. The Vulcans have now 18-consecutive matches against The Rock dating back to the 2006 campaign.

The trio of senior Laurel Miller (Bethel Park, Pa. Bethel Park), junior Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) and sophomore Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) each tallied 12 kills in the victory. Hayes finished with a .571 hitting percentage and led all players with 14 points, while Lavery hit at a .345 clip and posted 13.5 points while coming off the bench. Junior Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham) and freshman Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) both added seven kills on Friday night.

Sophomore Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) recorded her fourth assist/dig double-double of the season, finishing with 43 assists and 16 digs. Junior Samantha Rudy (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) collected 25 digs to lead four players in double-digit digs, while Miller and Leto posted 14 and 13 digs, respectively. Five different players collected multiple blocks in the match, led by five blocks from Fouzie.

In the opening set, Slippery Rock raced out to a 7-1 before Cal U called a timeout. The teams traded points until midway through the set when the Vulcans mounted an 8-2 rally to claim their first lead at 18-17 following back-to-back attacking errors. Slippery Rock responded by winning eight of the next 10 points to claim a 25-20 victory.

The teams combined for five ties and three lead changes in the second set with the Vulcans taking control by winning six-consecutive points to take a 13-8 lead on a kill by Lavery. Cal U later claimed six-straight points to stretch the lead to 21-11 and eventually posted a 25-16 victory while registering an impressive .406 hitting percentage in the second set.

The Vulcans opened the third set on a 5-2 rally following back-to-back kills by Hayes and Leto. After a point by Slippery Rock, Cal U won seven of nine points to stretch its lead to 12-5 on a kill by Miller. The teams later traded runs of three-straight points before the Vulcans won five of the next seven points to take a 21-11 lead. Cal U closed the set by winning four of the last five points and committed only one error in the 25-13 victory.

The teams traded points early in the fourth set before Cal U claimed eight-consecutive points to take a 13-6 lead following back-to-back kills by Lavery and Fouzie. The teams traded points in the middle part of the set before the Vulcans won four-straight points to take a 22-12 lead on a service ace by junior Ema Bobbitt (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim). Cal U later earned three-straight points, including a kill by senior Taylor Melidona (Rochester, N.Y./Irondequoit), to close the 25-13 win.

Cal U continues its weekend homestand tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 4, when it hosts Edinboro at 1 pm.