Live Stats I Live Video I California (Pa.) Statistics I Mercyhurst Statistics I Tournament Bracket

CALIFORNIA (Nov. 19) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team will face Mercyhurst in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 12 p.m. For the third-consecutive season, Wheeling Jesuit will host the Atlantic Regional Tournament at the Alma Grace McDonough Center in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Tickets: Admission price for adults is $10 and students/senior citizens are $5. All tickets can be purchased at the gate. Host Wheeling Jesuit is also offering an all-tournament pass for both adults and students at $25.

Live Coverage: The Wheeling Jesuit sports information office is scheduled to provide live stats and live video for the match at the links above. Live updates will also be available throughout the match on the official Twitter feed for Cal U athletics (@calvulcans).
 
NCAA Tournament: Cal U is the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Region and Mercyhurst is the No. 6 seed. The Vulcans earned an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 win at Seton Hill in the finals of the PSAC Tournament. Mercyhurst received the No. 6 seed and an at-large berth despite failing to qualify for the league tournament. In other first-round matches, No. 2 Clarion takes on No. 7 Edinboro at 2:30 p.m., No. 4 Seton Hill faces No. 5 Gannon at 5 p.m., while top seed and MEC Champion Wheeling Jesuit will play No. 8 and CIAA Champion Chowan in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m.

National Rankings: The Atlantic Region has featured only one team in the AVCA Coaches Poll (Wheeling Jesuit) in the national poll all season.

Records: Cal U enters the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 28-8 and a PSAC mark of 17-5. The Vulcans recorded a 13-match winning streak earlier this year before losing three of four matches, but have rebounded with seven-straight victories. Mercyhurst enters the NCAA Tournament with an 18-12 overall record and a 13-9 record in the PSAC. The Lakers closed the regular season by losing three of their last five matches with all three losses coming on the road against teams in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Scouting the Vulcans: Cal U ranks first in the PSAC in total kills (1690) and fifth in hitting percentage (.201) this season. Senior Laurel Miller leads the team and ranks third in the league with 3.49 kills/set, while also totaling 18 kill/dig double-doubles this season. In addition to Miller, the Vulcans feature a balanced offense with four other players with over 200 kills this season. Sophomore Danielle Hayes ranks second on the team with 270 kills on a team-best .298 hitting percentage, which ranks sixth in the PSAC. The Vulcans have utilized a trio of setters this season that have combined for nearly 1,400 assists, including a team-high 738 assists from sophomore Megan Litoborski. Cal U ranks first in the PSAC in total digs (2551) and blocks (327). Senior Samantha Rudy ranks 10th in the PSAC with 4.65 digs/set, while Miller sits second on the team with 3.18 digs/set. Junior Miranda Fouzie ranks second in the league with 151 blocks and Hayes has tallied 124 blocks, which is the fifth-highest mark in the PSAC.
 
Vulcans in the Playoffs: Cal U has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 11 years and has advanced past the first round in eight-consecutive seasons, reaching the regional final each time. The Vulcans have posted a 26-13 all-time record in the national post-season, advancing as far as the semifinals in 2000.
 
Scouting the Lakers: Mercyhurst ranks ninth in the PSAC in total team kills (1443) and fourth in the league with 13.12 kills/set. The Lakers are led by All-PSAC West second-team selection Lexi Stefanov, who ranks in 15th in the PSAC with 242 kills. Sophomores Sarah Wegrzyn and Lauren Kennyhave have each recorded over 240 kills. Wegrzyn has totaled a team-high 281 kills and a team-best 2.96 kills/set. Sophomore Samantha Giardina led the team with 482 digs and ranked 11th in the PSAC with 4.50 digs/set. At the net, Stefanovs leads the team and ranks 10th in the league with 101 total blocks.
 
The Lakers in the Playoffs: Mercyhurst is making its fourth appearance since 2008 in the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers hold an 0-3 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.

Series: Since 2002, the Vulcans hold a 13-3 record against the Lakers. Cal U and Mercyhurst are meeting for the first time in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Last Meeting: (Box Score) Cal U earned a 3-0 victory at home over Mercyhurst on Nov. 8. Miller recorded a game-high 12 kills while hitting at a .235 clip and added 12 digs for a kill/dig double-double. Fouzie and freshman Ashley Leto each totaled six kills, while junior Mary Lavery added five kills. Litoborski dished out a team-high 20 assists and fellow sophomore Kristen Scurpa tallied 11 assists. Defensively, the Vulcans were paced by a team-high 12 digs from Miller. Rudy totaled nine digs, while Leto and Litoborski posted eight and six digs, respectively.

Head Coaches: Peter Letourneau is in his fourth season at the helm of the Cal U program after serving as the head coach at Frostburg State for six years. He has led the team to a 121-30 record as head coach, including a 68-14 mark in conference play. Letourneau has led the Vulcans to a pair of PSAC championships while being selected PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2011.

Ryan Patton is in his 10th season as the head coach at Mercyhurst. He has guided the Lakers to a 170-145 record and led the program to the NCAA Tournament four times.
 
Up Next: The winner will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will face the winner of No. 2 Clarion-No. 7 Edinboro on Friday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m.