INDIANA, Pa. (Nov. 10) – The Vulcans dropped a 3-0 contest (25-19, 25-8, 25-17) to IUP at the Memorial Field House on Friday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest action.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team drops to 14-14 overall with an 8-9 mark in league play. The loss also eliminates the Vulcans from post-season contention, as they miss qualifying for the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2004. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks improve to 23-8 this season and remain tied for first in the divisional standings with a 14-3 record.
Senior
Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) led the team with seven kills and junior
Emily Bucklin (Marysville, Ohio /Marysville) added six kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Sophomore
Samantha Raidt (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) guided the offense with 18 assists on Friday. Freshman
Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) paced the team with 11 digs, as she was the lone player to record double-digit digs in the loss. Freshman
Maddie McGee (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) finished with eight digs in the match.
In the first set, the Crimson Hawks won six of seven points to take an 8-6 lead before Cal U answered with three-straight points to take a 9-8 lead on a service ace by Bucklin. The Crimson Hawks later mounted a 6-1 run to take a 15-11 lead to force the Vulcans to use a timeout. The teams eventually alternated eight-consecutive points with IUP holding a 21-16 lead before Cal U won back-to-back points to cut the deficit to 21-18. The Crimson Hawks answered by winning three-straight points before earning the 25-19 victory.
The second set featured a stark contrast in hitting percentages, as IUP committed no attack errors and Cal U tallied nine attack errors on 28 attempts. The Crimson Hawks opened the set on a 5-2 run before the Vulcans claimed back-to-back points to cut the deficit to 5-4. IUP later mounted a 12-1 rally, including a span of nine-unanswered with five points on kills, to take a sizeable 18-6 lead. After the Vulcans snapped the run, the Crimson Hawks won seven of eight points to claim the 25-8 win.
In the third set, the Vulcans took an early 7-4 lead before the Crimson Hawks rallied off seven-straight points to take an 11-7 lead. Following a kill by McGee, IUP won seven of eight points to stretch the lead to 18-9. The Vulcans responded by claiming six of eight points to trim the deficit to 20-15 on a kill by Bucklin. The teams alternated runs of back-to-back points before IUP clinched the match win with a 25-17 victory in the set.
Cal U closes out the season tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 11, when it travels to face Clarion at 1 p.m.
