ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 14) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team recorded a 3-1 victory (21-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20) over Gannon at the Hammermill Center on Friday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action. 

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 14-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights fall to 17-3 this season behind a 6-2 record in league action.

Junior Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) tallied a team-high 16 kills and sophomore Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) collected 14 kills behind a .407 hitting percentage. Senior Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) recorded nine kills, while classmate Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill/Lemont) posted six kills and sophomore Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) added four kills. Litoborski guided the offense with 40 assists against Gannon.

Hayes paced the team with 20 digs and Litoborski added 17 digs. Sophomore Marisa Fanelli (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) collected 15 digs, while classmate Bayleana Sowers (Mt. Wolf, Pa./Northeastern) tallied 13 digs. Leto added 11 digs against the Lady Knights. Fanelli recorded five service aces, while the trio of Barrett, Hayes and sophomore Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) each added two blocks in the win.

In the first set, Gannon went on an early 5-3 run to take a 6-4 lead before Cal U won four of the next six to even the score at 9-9. The Lady Knights responded with a 10-3 run to take a commanding 19-12 lead. Cal U took the next two points before Gannon won three of four to extend the lead to 22-15. Cal U won six of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 24-21. Gannon won the final point to earn a 25-21 win.

In the second set, the Vulcans scored four-unanswered points before the Lady Knights won five of the next seven points to trim the lead to 6-5. The Vulcans answered by going on a 6-2 run to extend the lead to 12-7. Gannon cut the deficit to 13-11 after winning four of the next five points before the two teams traded 3-0 runs. The Vulcans then took four of the next seven points to gain a 20-17 advantage. Following a timeout, the Lady Knights cut the lead to 22-20 before the Vulcans won two straight to take a 24-20 lead. Gannon won the next two points on back-to-back kills before a kill by Litoborski gave the Vulcans a 25-22 victory.

Early in the third set, Cal U took an 8-5 lead after scoring four-unanswered points. Gannon scored a point before Cal U collected three-straight to take an 11-6 advantage. The Lady Knights went on a 4-1 run to trim the lead to 12-10. A kill by Leto extended the lead to 13-10 before Gannon took five of the next seven points to tie the score at 15-15. The Vulcans then went on a 5-2 run to take a 20-17 lead. Two-unanswered points by Gannon cut the deficit to 20-19 before the Vulcans closed out the set by winning five of the final six points to win the set by a count of 25-20.

The fourth set was tied 4-4 before a kill from Litoborski lead to a 5-1 run by the Vulcans and a 9-5 lead. The Lady Knights responded with a 5-2 run to cut the lead to 11-10. Cal U went on an 8-3 run to take a 19-13 advantage before Gannon scored two-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 19-15. The Vulcans scored four-straight points to hold a 23-15 advantage before the Lady Knights scored five-unanswered points to cut the lead to 23-20. A kill from Leto followed by a service ace from Fanelli gave the Vulcans a 25-20 victory.

Cal U continues its road trip in Erie, Pennsylvania, tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 15, when it faces Mercyhurst at 4 p.m.