SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (Nov. 1) – Junior Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham) set a career high with 15 kills on Saturday afternoon, as the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team earned a 3-1 victory (25-16, 25-22, 24-26, 25-13) at Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 23-8 overall behind a 15-5 mark in league action. Meanwhile, The Rock falls to 16-13 this season with a 9-11 record in conference play.

Fouzie led all players with 15 kills on 28 attempts for an impressive .536 hitting percentage. Senior Laurel Miller (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and sophomore Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) added 12 and 11 kills, respectively, in the victory. Sophomore setters Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) and Kristen Scurpa (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) both tallied over 20 assists with Litoborski collecting a team-high 25 assists.

Freshman Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) registered a season-high 21 digs and junior Samantha Rudy (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) totaled 20 digs. Miller and Litoborski each finished with double-doubles against The Rock after adding 16 and 14 digs, respectively. Hayes controlled the net with a team-high nine blocks, while Fouzie and junior Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) both collected six blocks.

Early in the first set, Cal U won six of seven points to take a 6-3 lead on a kill by Hayes before Slippery Rock countered by claiming four of five points to tie the score at 7-7. The Vulcans later mounted a 7-0 run to take a 17-9 lead on a block assist by Fouzie and Lavery. Slippery Rock answered by winning three of four points to trim the deficit to 19-12 before Cal U claimed five of six points to force set point at 24-13 on a kill by redshirt freshman Rachel Snyder (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley). The Rock won three-points before the Vulcans completed the 25-16 victory with a kill by Snyder.

The Vulcans earned eight of nine points in the opening part of the second set to take an 11-6 lead on a service ace by Rudy. Slippery Rock then mounted a 9-3 run to claim a 15-14 lead before Cal U won three-straight points to take a 17-15 lead after back-to-back block assists. The teams traded points before The Rock won three-consecutive points to take a 21-20 lead. Cal U responded with a 5-1 run to post a 25-22 win on a kill by Leto.

The teams traded points early in the third set before Slippery Rock claimed four of five points to take an 8-5 lead. The Vulcans answered with four-straight points to take a 9-8 lead on a service ace by Rudy before The Rock went on a 7-4 run to take a 16-15 lead. Cal U captured three-straight points to take a 17-16 lead on a block assist by Hayes and Snyder before Slippery Rock won four of six points to take a 20-19 lead. Each team then won three-straight points before the Vulcans forced set point at 24-23 on a kill by Leto before The Rock called a timeout. Slippery Rock answered by claiming three-straight points to earn a 26-24 win.

The Vulcans mounted a sizeable 17-6 run in the opening half of fourth set to take a 17-8 lead on an attack error. Slippery Rock won three of four points before Cal U claimed four-straight points to take a 22-11 lead on a service ace by sophomore Cheyenne Rose (Lancaster, Ohio/Harvest Preparatory). The Vulcans later won back-to-back points to post a 25-13 victory on a kill by Miller.

Cal U closes out the regular season next weekend when it hosts a pair of matches, beginning on Friday, Nov. 7, against Gannon at 7 p.m.