CALIFORNIA (Oct. 20) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team returned to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest action on Friday night, suffering a 3-0 loss (25-21, 25-13, 25-13) to Clarion at Hamer Hall.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 12-9 this season with a 6-4 mark in league play. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles improve to 17-6 overall behind an 8-2 record in conference action. Clarion remains tied for first place in the division and Cal U now sits two matches back in the league standings.

Sophomore Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) led the team with seven kills on 37 attacks and junior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) posted six kills against the Golden Eagles. Cal U was limited to season lows of 21 kills and a .048 hitting percentage in the loss. Senior Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) collected 10 assists and sophomore Samantha Raidt (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) finished with five assists.

Freshman Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) recorded a team-leading 12 digs and senior Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) added 10 digs on Friday. Junior Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) totaled four blocks in the loss, while three other players finished with three blocks.

In the first set, Cal U opened with four-straight points before Clarion countered with five-unanswered points to take a 5-4 lead. The Vulcans later responded with five-straight points to take an 11-8 lead on a kill by Priore and eventually stretched the lead to 16-11 on a kill by Bellhy. Following a timeout, Clarion won five of six points to cut the deficit to 17-16 to force Cal U to call a timeout. After committing a service error, the Golden Eagles mounted a 7-2 run to take a 23-20 lead and the Vulcans called their final timeout. Clarion later won back-to-back points to earn the 25-21 win in the set.

The Vulcans posted just four kills and a .000 hitting percentage in the second set. Clarion opened play with a 7-1 run before Cal U won back-to-back points. The Golden Eagles then won six of seven points to stretch the lead to 13-4 before the Vulcans again won consecutive points. Clarion again rallied off six of seven points to take a sizeable 19-7 lead before Cal U worked the deficit down to 23-13 on a kill by Priore. The Golden Eagles took a 2-0 match lead after winning the next two points, 25-13.

The third set featured a combined eight lead changes and 15 ties with Clarion earning a 25-21 victory. The Vulcans took an early 3-1 lead before the Golden Eagles won four-unanswered points to take a 5-3 lead. Cal U claimed four of the next five points to take a 7-6 lead on a kill by van Schaik before the teams traded back-to-back points. The Golden Eagles later held a 17-15 lead before the Vulcans won four-straight points to take a 19-17 lead on an attacking error. The teams traded the next two points before Clarion ended the set with a 7-1 run to earn the match sweep, 25-21.

The Vulcans continue their weekend homestand tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 21, when they face IUP in Hamer Hall at 1 p.m.