CALIFORNIA (Oct. 13) – Behind a dominating 16.5 blocks on Friday night, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team claimed a 3-2 victory (25-21, 13-25, 25-16, 21-25, 15-9) against Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action at the Convocation Center.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 12-7 this season with a 6-2 record in league play. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 6-13 overall behind a 1-7 mark in conference action.

Cal U recorded 16.5 blocks on Friday with five players collecting at least four blocks, marking the most blocks in a match since September 2015. Junior Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) established a career high with nine blocks and junior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) added a season-high seven blocks. Fellow junior Emily Bucklin (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) posted six blocks in three sets, while seniors Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) both finished with four blocks.

van Schaik led the team with 13 kills on a .233 hitting percentage, while sophomore Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) finished with 12 kills and Leto added 11 kills. Solo collected 28 assists in the victory and was one of four players to tally two service aces against the Lakers. Freshman Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) paced the defensive effort with 27 digs, while Leto and Solo both recorded double-doubles with 17 and 15 digs, respectively.

The Vulcans posted a staggering .359 hitting percentage while earning a 25-21 victory in the opening set. Mercyhurst won four of six points to tie the score at 10-10 and forced Cal U to call a timeout. The Vulcans rallied to claim five of the next six points to take a 15-11 lead on a block assist by Bellhy and Solo. Mercyhurst earned the next three points to trim the deficit to 15-14 before the Cal U mounted a 5-2 run to stretch the lead to 20-16 on a service ace by Solo. Following a timeout, the Lakers won the next four points to tie the score at 20-20 before the Vulcans won five of six points to earn the 25-21 win on a kill by Bellhy.

In the second set, Cal U committed nine attack errors while dropping a 25-13 set to tie the match score. The score was tied at 9-9 before the Lakers seized control of the set by winning eight-unanswered points to build a 17-9 lead. The teams traded the next seven points before Mercyhurst closed the set with five-straight points to post the 25-13 victory.

The Vulcans hit at a .273 clip in the third set after committing just one attack error in a 25-16 win. Cal U opened the set on an 8-1 run with five points being scored on kills before Mercyhurst cut the deficit to 11-6. The Vulcans then posted a 6-3 run to stretch the lead to 17-9 on a kill by Leto before the Lakers countered with four-straight points to cut the deficit to 17-13. Following a timeout, Cal U mounted an 8-3 rally to complete the 25-16 victory on a block assist by Bucklin and van Schaik.

Mercyhurst tied match score with a 25-21 victory in the fourth set despite committing 10 attacking errors in the set. The Lakers won three-straight points to take an early 6-4 lead before the Vulcans tied the score at 10-10 on a service ace by Solo. Mercyhurst countered with five-unanswered points to take a 15-10 lead before Cal U won six of eight points to cut the deficit to 17-16 on a block assist by Bellhy and Solo. The Lakers then called a timeout before winning four-consecutive points to take a 21-16 lead. The teams traded the next six points before Mercyhurst finished with the 25-21 win.

The Vulcans completed the match victory with a 15-9 win in the decisive fifth set. Cal U won three-straight points early in the set before Mercyhurst tied the score at 3-3. The Vulcans then claimed seven of the next 10 points to take a 10-6 lead on a service ace by Bellhy. Mercyhurst then called a timeout before cutting the deficit to 11-9. The Vulcans responded with four-straight points, sealing the win with back-to-back service aces by junior Marisa Fanelli (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run).

Cal U continues its weekend homestand tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 14, when it faces Gannon at 1 p.m.