CALIFORNIA (Oct. 9) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team suffered its fourth-straight defeat on Friday night with a 3-0 loss (21-25, 13-25, 21-25) against Clarion at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 6-12 overall with a 4-4 mark in league action. Cal U and Clarion split the regular-season series last year with the road team winning each match before the Vulcans won both post-season meetings. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles improve to 10-9 this year behind a 6-2 record in conference play.

Seniors Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham) and Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) tied for the team lead with seven kills, while sophomore Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) added six kills in the loss. Fouzie finished with a .375 hitting percentage and is now hitting at a .357 clip over her last 11 matches. Juniors Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) and Kristen Scurpa (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) directed the offense with 13 and 12 assists, respectively, on Friday.

Junior Abby Matusik (Mars, Pa./Mars) led the team with 19 digs and freshman Marisa Fanelli (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) set a season high with 11 digs. Scurpa also tallied 12 assists against the Golden Eagles for her fourth assist/dig double-double of the season.

In the first set, the Golden Eagles opened play on a 10-5 run before the Vulcans won four-straight points to cut the deficit to 10-9 on a kill by Fouzie. Clarion then won six of the next eight points to stretch its lead to 16-11 and forced Cal U to use a timeout. The Vulcans responded with a 4-1 run to trim the deficit to 17-15 on a solo block by freshman Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley). After Clarion reclaimed a two-point lead, Cal U answered with three-straight points before the Golden Eagles eventually claimed a 25-21 victory.

The teams traded the opening points of the second set before Clarion claimed six-consecutive points to take a 12-6 lead. Neither team was able to make a run in the middle of the set before Clarion registered the final seven points to earn a 25-13 win.

With the score tied at 5-5 in the third set, Clarion won seven of the next eight points to build a 12-6 lead and force a timeout. The Vulcans then responded with a 6-2 run to cut the deficit to 14-12 on a kill by Leto. After a timeout, the Golden Eagles answered by winning four of five points to build an 18-13 lead. The teams traded the next six points before Cal U won three-straight points to trim the deficit to 21-19 on a block assist. However, the teams split the next four points before Clarion sealed the match victory with a 25-21 win.

Cal U continues its weekend homestand tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 10, when it faces IUP at the Convocation Center with the match at 2 p.m.