CALIFORNIA, Pa. (Sept. 22) - In a rematch of the last four NCAA Atlantic regional finals, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to No. 10 Wheeling Jesuit in non-conference play at Hamer Hall on Tuesday night.

With the loss, the Vulcans drop to 2-8 on the year before entering Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play this weekend. Meanwhile, the Cardinals improve to 11-3 overall and have won six-consecutive matches.

Senior Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) and junior Abby Matusik (Mars, Pa./Mars) both finished with a team-high eight kills, while freshman Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) totaled seven kills on a .167 hitting percentage. Junior Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) led the offense with 15 assists and also collected 12 digs to register an assist/dig double-double, while classmate Kristen Scurpa (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) registered 10 assists in the loss.

On the defensive side, sophomore Emily Berry (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) paced the team with 13 digs, while sophomore Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) tallied 10 digs and Lavery led the team with four blocks.

Cal U earned the first point of the contest before Wheeling Jesuit tallied the next five to take an early 5-1 lead. After trading points, the Vulcans picked up five of the next eight points via three kills from Lavery to narrow the deficit to 9-6. The Cardinals called a timeout and Cal U rallied to come within two points at 11-9 before Wheeling Jesuit increased the lead to 21-12 and eventually won by a score of 25-17 in the first set.

In the second set, the two teams traded the opening eight points before the Cardinals scored eight of the next 10 points to take a 12-6 lead. After a timeout, Wheeling Jesuit scored four-straight points before a service error ended the run. The Vulcans rallied for three-consecutive points of their own, including a service ace from Matusik, to make the score 18-12 in favor of the Cardinals. Cal U, who hit at a .057 clip during the set, lost seven of the last nine points to drop the second set 25-14.

For the third-straight set, the Vulcans registered the initial point before the two teams traded the opening points again and Wheeling Jesuit eventually took a 10-6 lead. Cal U responded with three-consecutive points and cut the lead to 10-9. The Cardinals responded by winning seven of the next 11 points, including four in a row, to move the score to 18-12. The Vulcans dropped seven of the last 10 points of the match, including two runs of three-straight points, to lose the final set, 25-15.

Cal U opens league action this weekend when it plays four matches at Hamer Hall in PSAC Crossover, starting Friday, Sept. 25, at 11:30 a.m.