CLARION, Pa. (Oct. 21) – Five players registered double-digit digs on Friday night, as the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team earned a 3-1 win (15-25, 25-23, 25-22, 26-24) at Clarion in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest action.

With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 16-5 overall behind an 8-2 mark in league play. Cal U now holds a one-match lead for first place in the PSAC Southwest standings with eight conference matches remaining in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles fall to 12-10 this season with a 6-4 record in conference action.

Senior Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) led the team with 16 kills on 52 attempts, while sophomore Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) finished with 11 kills in the victory. Junior Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and sophomore Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) added six and five kills, respectively, on Friday night. Senior Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) recorded 36 assists while directing the offense against the Golden Eagles.

Hayes also paced the team with 16 digs for her ninth kill/dig double-double of the year. Sophomore Bayleana Sowers (Mt. Wolf, Pa./Northeastern) tallied 14 digs, while Leto and junior Emily Berry (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) both collected 11 digs. Litoborski finished with 16 digs for her eighth assist/dig double-double of the season. Barrett controlled the net with a team-leading six blocks (two solo).

In the first set, the Golden Eagles recorded a staggering .425 hitting percentage and committed only two attacking errors. Clarion opened the match on a 4-1 run and later won six of seven points to build an 11-5 lead. The Vulcans then won four of five points to cut the deficit to 12-9 before the teams traded the next 10 points. Clarion mounted a 6-1 run to take a 23-15 lead before Cal U called a timeout. The Golden Eagles then won consecutive points to win the set by a 25-15 count.

Cal U battled through four lead changes and 10 ties in the second set to even the match score at 1-1. The Vulcans won the initial point of the set before the Golden Eagles mounted a 6-2 run to take a 6-3 lead. Cal U then won four of five points to tie the score at 7-7 before Clarion won consecutive points. After the teams traded points, the Vulcans won four-unanswered points to take a 13-11 lead on a kill by Hayes before the Golden Eagles called a timeout. Clarion responded by winning four of five points and reclaimed the lead at 15-14. Cal U later mounted a 5-1 run to take a 21-19 lead on a block assist by Barrett and Litoborski. Following a timeout, the Golden Eagles won back-to-back points to tie the score at 21-21 before the Vulcans countered with three-straight points to take a 24-21 lead. Cal U later closed the set with a 25-23 victory on a kill by Litoborski.

The Vulcans registered their best hitting percentage of the match in the third set, totaling 14 kills while hitting at a .184 clip. Cal U opened the set on a 5-1 run before Clarion won seven of the next 10 points to tie score at 8-8. The teams traded points until the Vulcans later won three-straight points to take a 15-13 lead on an attacking error. Clarion responded by winning four of the next five points to reclaim the lead at 17-16. Cal U countered with a 4-1 run to take a 20-18 lead and forced a timeout by Clarion. The Golden Eagles managed to tie the score at 21-21 before the Vulcans won four of five points to earn the 25-22 victory.

In the fourth set, Cal U earned the win despite hitting under .100 while Clarion committed 10 attacking errors. The Golden Eagles opened the set on a 6-2 run before the Vulcans worked the deficit down to 8-5 on a ball handling error. The teams traded the next eight points before Clarion won back-to-back points to take a 14-9 lead. The Vulcans later won three-straight points to trim the deficit to 18-16 on consecutive kills by Barrett. Following a timeout and point by Clarion, Cal U mounted a 5-1 run to take a 22-19 lead.  The teams traded back-to-back points before the Golden Eagles staved off match point by rallying to win three-straight points to tie the score at 24-24. However, a service error and a block assist closed out the 26-24 set victory by Cal U.

The Vulcans continue their weekend road trip tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 22, when they face IUP at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, beginning at 2 p.m.