CALIFORNIA (Nov. 3) – Facing one of the top teams in the Atlantic Region, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team posted a 3-1 win (24-26, 25-9, 25-22, 25-15) over Shippensburg on Friday night at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 14-11 this season with an 8-6 mark in league play. Meanwhile, the Raiders fall to 19-8 overall and drop into a tie for first place in the PSAC Central with an 11-3 record in conference action. Shippensburg was slotted second in the initial NCAA Atlantic regional rankings, which were released earlier this week.
Cal U featured a balanced offensive attack in the win, as three players finished with double-digit kills and five players tallied at least six kills on Friday. Sophomore
Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) and junior
Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) tied for the team lead with 11 kills with Priore posting a .423 hitting percentage and van Schaik hitting at a .300 clip. Senior
Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) posted 10 kills and junior
Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) collected nine kills, while junior
Emily Bucklin (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) added six kills. Sophomore
Samantha Raidt (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) and senior
Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) directed the offense with 24 and 19 assists, respectively, against the Raiders.
Freshman
Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) paced the defense with 20 digs and Leto recorded 14 digs for her eighth kill/dig double-double of the year. Bucklin anchored the net with seven blocks in the victory and Priore totaled four blocks on Friday.
In the first set, the Vulcans raced out to a 10-5 lead before the Raiders won three-straight points to cut the deficit to 10-8. Cal U countered by claiming four of the next five points to stretch its lead to 14-9 on an attacking error. Shippensburg worked the deficit down to 16-14 and eventually tied the score at-17-17 after winning three-consecutive points. The Vulcans countered with four-unanswered points to take a 21-17 lead before the Raiders seized control of the set with 9-3 run to earn the 26-24 victory.
Shippensburg committed 11 attacking errors in the second set, as Cal U tied the match score. The Vulcans opened the set on a 10-3 run to force the Raiders to call their initial timeout. The teams traded the next three points before Cal U opened a sizeable 20-5 lead after winning nine-unanswered points. After the Raiders recorded a block assist, the Vulcans claimed four-straight points to take a 24-6 lead on a service ace by Raidt. Shippensburg countered with three-consecutive points before a kill by van Schaik completed the 25-9 win.
The Vulcans posted an impressive 17 kills on a .329 hitting percentage in the third set to take a 2-1 match lead. Cal U mounted an 8-3 run early in the set to take a 12-6 lead on a service ace by Leto and forced a timeout by Shippensburg. The Raiders then won six of the eight points to trim the deficit to 14-12 before the Vulcans called a timeout. The teams alternated the next seven points before Shippensburg tied the score at 18-18, which forced Cal U to use its last timeout. After the teams traded six points, Cal U was able to close the set by winning four of five points with a kill by Priore capping the 25-22 win.
Cal U was able to complete the match victory, as Shippensburg committed 10 attacking errors in the fourth set. The Vulcans rallied off eight-consecutive points early in the set to take a 12-4 lead and later won five of six points to stretch the lead to 20-9 on a kill by Bucklin. The teams traded the next four points before Shippensburg won four of five points to work the deficit to 23-15. The Vulcans then countered with back-to-back points, sealing the win on a block assist by Bucklin and Priore to earn the 25-15 victory.
The Vulcans continue their weekend homestand tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 4, when they face Millersville on Senior Day at 1 p.m.
