CALIFORNIA (Oct. 31) – Behind a balanced offensive attack, the Vulcans claimed 3-2 win (19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 18-25, 15-10) against Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team improves to 11-16 overall with a 9-8 mark in league play. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst falls to 14-14 this season behind a 9-8 record in conference action.

Sophomore Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) established a career high with 18 kills on 47 attempts for a .277 hitting percentage. Senior Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) added 11 kills while hitting at a .286 clip, while junior Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and freshman Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) finished with 11 and nine kills, respectively. Junior Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) directed the offense with a season-high 49 assists against the Lakers.

Five different players collected at least 10 digs in the match with Leto pacing the team with 23 digs for her 11th kill/dig double-double of the season. Litoborski tallied 22 digs, while junior libero Abby Matusik (Mars, Pa./Mars) finished with 20 digs on Saturday. Lavery and Hayes registered 11 and 10 digs, respectively, as each finished with kill/dig double-doubles. Barrett helped control the net with six blocks and Lavery totaled four blocks in the victory.

In the first set, Mercyhurst opened play on a 12-4 run before Cal U answered with a 12-3 run to take the lead at 16-15 on a block assist by Lavery and senior Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham). The Lakers then won five of seven points and later claimed five-straight points to take the set, 25-19.

The Lakers and Vulcans traded runs of multiple points throughout the first half of the second set. Cal U posted three separate runs of three-straight points to take a 9-7 lead before Mercyhurst won four-straight points to take an 11-9 lead and forced Cal U to call a timeout. The Vulcans answered by claiming the next four points to take a 13-11 lead on a service ace by Leto. After the teams traded the next three points, Cal U won six-consecutive points to stretch its lead to 20-13 on a service ace by Litoborski. The Vulcans then won five of the next seven points to tie the match following a 25-15 victory.

Cal U built a 6-3 lead in the third set on a kill by Leto and later led 9-6 before Mercyhurst cut the deficit to 9-8. The Vulcans then earned three-straight points to build a 12-8 lead on back-to-back kills by Lavery. Cal U later won another three-consecutive points to take a 15-9 lead before Mercyhurst cut the deficit to 18-15. The teams traded points for the remainder of the set before the Vulcans won three of four points to earn a 25-20 win on a kill by Leto.

In the fourth set, the Lakers opened play with a 7-3 run before the Vulcans won five of seven points to trim the deficit to 9-8 following an attacking error. Mercyhurst then won five-straight points to stretch its lead to 14-8 and forced Cal U to call a timeout. The teams traded the next six points before the Lakers won four of six points to take a a 20-14 lead. Mercyhurst eventually evened the match score with a 25-18 victory.

The teams traded the opening five points in the deciding set before Cal U won five of six points to take a 7-4 lead on an attacking error. The Lakers then won five of seven points to even the score in the fifth set at 9-9. The teams traded the next two points before Cal U claimed the match victory by winning the next five points to earn a 15-10 victory on an ace by Matusik.

The Vulcans continue their homestand on Tuesday, Oct. 3, when they host Seton Hill at 7 p.m.