CALIFORNIA (Sept. 10) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team finished play at the Vulcan Invitational on Saturday at the Convocation Center with a 3-0 loss to Grand Valley State before rallying for a 3-2 win against Adelphi – both opponents qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
With the split, the Vulcans move to 7-2 this season while already playing matches against teams from five different conferences. Cal U posted a 4-1 record while hosting the Vulcan Invitational for the fourth-straight year.
Against the Lakers, Cal U suffered a 3-0 loss (25-16, 25-17, 25-21) after being held to a .095 hitting percentage. Junior
Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) led the team with 13 kills and sophomore
Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) finished with seven kills on a .312 hitting percentage. Freshman
Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) added four kills in the loss. Senior
Megan Litoborski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) directed the offense with 27 assists.
Sophomore
Bayleana Sowers (Mt. Wolf, Pa./Northeastern) paced the defense with 10 digs, while Priore and sophomore
Marisa Fanelli (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) finished with six and four digs, respectively. van Schaik led the team with three blocks while sophomores
Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) and
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp.,Pa./Central Valley), plus Leto, each collected two blocks in the loss.
Against the Panthers, Cal U rallied to earn a 3-2 victory (20-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-12) behind 12 service aces. van Schaik led the offense by finishing with a career-high 14 kills on a .345 hitting percentage. Senior
Danielle Hayes (Erie, Pa./McDowell) tied for the team lead with 14 kills on 53 attempts and Barrett and Leto posted 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Litoborski collected 49 assists in the win versus Adelphi.
Litoborski also established a career high with 25 digs with Sowers and Leto collecting 20 and 17 digs, respectively. Barrett led the team with three blocks and Litoborski added two blocks.
Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 17, when it hosts Daemen (N.Y.) in Hamer Hall at 6 p.m.