CALIFORNIA (Oct. 10) – The Vulcans started their five-match homestand with a 3-0 loss (25-17, 25-10, 25-11) to Seton Hill in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest Division play on Tuesday night at Convocation Center.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team falls to 11-7 overall with a 5-2 mark in league action. Meanwhile, Seton Hill improves to 13-3 this season and seizes sole possession of first place in the divisional standings with a 6-1 conference record. This marks the second year in which the PSAC features a four-division format with each division winner earning an automatic qualifier to the league tournament.
Sophomore
Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) led the team with eight kills on 33 attacks, while senior
Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) finished with six kills on Tuesday. Senior
Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) collected 14 assists and sophomore
Samantha Raidt (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) added seven assists against the Griffins.
Freshman
Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) and Solo tied for the team lead with 11 digs, as Solo recorded her 10th assist/dig double-double of the year. Junior
Marisa Fanelli (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) tallied 10 digs in the match and three players posted three blocks in the loss.
In the first set, the Griffins raced out to a 6-1 lead before the Vulcans won three of four points to cut the deficit to 7-4 on a triple block assist. Seton Hill countered with five-unanswered points to take a 12-4 lead before Cal U called a timeout. The Vulcans then answered with four-straight points to trim the score to 12-8 on a kill by Priore. Seton Hill later mounted an 8-2 run to stretch its lead to a sizeable 21-11. Cal U responded with four-consecutive points to cut the deficit to 21-15 on a double block assist and later trailed 23-17 before Seton Hill won back-to-back points for the 25-17 victory.
Cal U was held to a .025 hitting percentage in the second set after totaling just seven kills on 40 total attacks. The Griffins rallied off five-unanswered points early in the set to take an 8-4 lead and later won four of five points to take a 12-6 lead. Cal U won two of the next three points before Seton Hill claimed seven-straight points to take a commanding 20-8 lead. The Vulcans earned the next two points before the Griffins posted five-unanswered points to collect the 25-10 win.
The Griffins committed only two attacking errors in the third set to complete the sweep with a 25-11 victory. Seton Hill took a 6-2 lead early in the set before Cal U trimmed the deficit to 9-6 on an attacking error. The Griffins responded by winning seven of eight points to stretch the lead to 16-7 before Priore tallied a kill. Seton Hill then countered with a 6-1 run to take a 22-9 lead before finishing with a 25-11 win.
Cal U returns to action on Friday, Oct. 13, when it hosts Mercyhurst in PSAC Crossover play at 7 p.m.
