CALIFORNIA (Oct. 8) – Sophomore Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) and senior Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) combined for 32 points on Saturday afternoon, as the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team claimed a 3-0 win (25-23, 33-31, 25-15) over Slippery Rock at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action.

With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 13-4 overall with a 5-1 mark in league play. Meanwhile, The Rock drops to 8-11 this season behind a 1-5 conference record.

Barrett led the team with 16 kills on a .438 hitting percentage after committing only two errors on 32 attempts. Hayes finished with 13 kills in the victory, while sophomore Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) added six kills. Senior Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) guided the offense with 40 assists and also collected seven digs and three kills.

Sophomore Marisa Fanelli (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) and junior Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) tied for the team lead with 16 digs, which was a career high for Fanelli. Sophomore Bayleana Sowers (Mt. Wolf, Pa./Northeastern) finished with 15 kills and Hayes registered 10 digs for a kill/dig double-double.

Cal U opened the first set on a 6-2 run following a kill by Hayes before Slippery Rock countered with a 7-3 rally to take a 9-8 lead. The Rock later won five-unanswered points to stretch its lead to 15-11 before the Vulcans claimed five of six points to tie the score at 16-16 on an attacking error. Slippery Rock later countered with three-straight points to take a 20-18 lead before Cal U cut the deficit to 21-20 on a kill by Leto. The teams traded the next four points before the Vulcans rallied for three-unanswered points to earn a 25-23 win on a service ace by Leto.

The Vulcans and The Rock combined for 22 ties and 12 lead changes in the second set on Saturday. Neither team was able to win more than back-to-back points until Cal U claimed three-straight points to take an 11-9 lead on a kill by Leto. The Rock countered with four-straight points to take a 13-11 lead before the Vulcans won five of six points to reclaim the lead at 16-14 on a kill by Hayes. Slippery Rock countered with three-straight points to take a 17-16 lead before Cal U mounted a 6-2 run to take a 22-19 lead on a ball handling error. The teams traded the next four points before The Rock claimed four-unanswered points to take a 25-24 lead following an attacking error. The teams traded the next six points before Cal U took a 29-28 lead on a kill by Leto before Slippery Rock staved off set point by winning back-to-back points. Following a timeout by the Vulcans, Cal U won consecutive points before Slippery Rock again staved off set point. However, the Vulcans captured the next two points for a 33-31 victory.

Cal U committed just three attack errors in the third set to complete the match victory. The Vulcans opened the set on a 7-3 run following a kill by Hayes before The Rock won three-straight points to cut the deficit to 7-6. Cal U later rallied off seven-unanswered points to stretch its lead to 16-7 on a kill by van Schaik. The Rock then won four-straight points before the Vulcans later countered with four-unanswered points to build a 21-12 lead on a block assist by Barrett and Leto. Slippery Rock then won back-to-back points before Cal U won four of the final five points to earn a 25-15 win on a kill by Hayes.

The Vulcans return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 11, when they travel to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, to face Seton Hill in PSAC Southwest play at 7 p.m.