CLARION, Pa. (Sept. 27) – Facing one of the last two undefeated teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), the Vulcans collected a 3-0 win (25-21, 25-15, 25-21) at Clarion in PSAC West action on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team improves to 10-5 overall with a 4-2 mark in league play. The Vulcans and Golden Eagles split two matches during the regular season last year, while Cal U posted a victory in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Clarion drops to 13-1 this season behind a 5-1 record in conference action.
Senior
Laurel Miller (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and sophomore
Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) tied for the team lead with 10 kills, while junior
Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham) and freshman
Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) each collected eight kills. Junior
Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) finished with six kills on a .545 attack percentage and Fouzie hit at a .438 clip. Sophomore
Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) engineered the offense with 35 assists in the victory.
Junior
Samantha Rudy (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) tallied a team-best 10 digs and three service aces, while Leto and Miller each posted seven kills. Fouzie recorded four blocks on Saturday.
In the first set, Clarion jumped out to a 6-2 lead before Cal U won five of next six points to tie the score at 7-7 on a service ace by Rudy. The Golden Eagles reclaimed the lead at 12-10 before the Vulcans went on a 5-2 run to take a 15-14 lead on a kill by Hayes. After Clarion won five of the next points, Cal U seized momentum and closed the set on a 9-3 run after winning the last six points.
The Golden Eagles won four of the opening five points in the second set before the Vulcans went on an 11-2 rally to take a 12-6 lead on a service ace by Rudy. Cal U later won five of seven points to take a 17-9 lead before Clarion claimed five-straight points to trim the deficit to 17-14. The Vulcans eventually closed the set by winning four of the last five points with a kill by Fouzie closing the set.
Cal U raced out to a 10-4 lead in the third set following a service ace by Rudy. The Vulcans later mounted a 7-2 run to take an 18-10 lead following an attack error by the Golden Eagles. Clarion won six of the next eight points to trim the deficit to 20-16 before the teams traded the next six points. The Vulcans eventually won back-to-back points with a block assist by Hayes and Litoborski capping the match win.
The Vulcans returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 30, when they host Seton Hill at 7 p.m.
