CLARION, Pa. (Nov. 11) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team concluded its season with a 3-1 loss (25-22, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17) at Clarion on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest play.
With the loss, the Vulcans finish the year with a 14-15 mark behind an 8-10 record in league action. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles improve to 20-11 overall and enter next week's PSAC Tournament after posting an 11-7 record in conference play.
Senior
Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) led the team with 15 kills on a .239 hitting percentage and freshman
Maddie McGee (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) tied a season high with 10 kills on 27 total attacks. Sophomore
Samantha Raidt (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) and senior
Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) directed the offense with 21 and 11 assists, respectively, against the Golden Eagles.
Freshman
Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) guided the defensive effort with 15 digs and Solo added nine digs on Saturday. The Vulcans combined for 14.5 blocks against Clarion with juniors
Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) and
Emily Bucklin (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) both tallying seven blocks, while Leto finished with four blocks in the match.
In the first set, the Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 8-5 lead before the Vulcans rallied back by winning four of six points to cut the deficit to 10-9. The match remained close until Clarion scored three-unanswered points to take a 20-16 lead. After the Vulcans snapped the run, the Golden Eagles responded with three-straight points to take a commanding 24-18 advantage. Cal U answered with four-unanswered points before Clarion earned the victory on a kill, 25-22
Clarion recorded 17 kills on a .355 clip in the second set to take a 2-0 match lead. The Golden Eagles opened the set on an 11-5 run before the Vulcans battled back to win seven of nine points to trim the deficit to 13-12. Clarion stretched the lead to 19-15 on a pair of attacking errors by Cal U before alternating the next four points. The Vulcans tied the match with a 6-3 run before back-to-back points completed the 26-24 win.
Cal U capitalized on eight attacking errors by Clarion to claim the third set, 25-22. The Vulcans posted a 7-3 lead to open the set and forced a timeout by the Golden Eagles. Clarion mounted a 9-6 run before Cal U countered with four-straight points to take a 17-12 lead. The Golden Eagles rallied back by winning five of seven points to trail 19-18, forcing the Vulcans to call a timeout. Clarion tied the match before Cal U used a 5-2 run to post a 25-22 victory.
In the fourth set, the Vulcans finished with seven kills and nine attacking errors, as the Golden Eagles completed the match win. Cal U claimed an early 5-3 lead before Clarion answered with five-consecutive points to take an 8-5 lead. Following a timeout, the Golden Eagles mounted a 13-9 advantage on three-straight kills before taking a sizeable lead on an 11-5 run. Cal U countered with three-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 24-17 before Clarion sealed the match victory on a kill, 25-17.
