GREENSBURG, Pa. (Nov. 7) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team opened the last week of the regular season by suffering a 3-1 loss (25-8, 25-13, 21-25, 25-23) to Seton Hill in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest play on Tuesday night.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 14-13 this season with an 8-8 mark in league action. Cal U sits one-match back of the final at-large spot for the PSAC Tournament with two matches remaining in the regular season. Meanwhile, Seton Hill improves to 21-5 overall behind a 13-3 record in conference play and has secured a berth in the league tournament.

Junior Emily Bucklin (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) led the team and set a career high with 13 kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Senior Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) finished with nine kills, while junior Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) and freshman Maddie McGee (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) both collected eight kills against the Griffins. Sophomore Samantha Raidt (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) guided the offense on Tuesday with 33 assists and added 12 digs for her fourth assist/dig double-double in the last five matches.

Freshman Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) led the team with 19 digs, while McGee finished with 12 digs in the loss. The trio of Bellhy, Bucklin and junior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) each tallied four blocks against Seton Hill.

Cal U committed nine attacking errors in the first set, while Seton Hill hit at a .417 clip. The Griffins took an early 10-3 lead before the Vulcans claimed back-to-back points. Seton Hill later posted eight-consecutive points to take a sizeable 20-6 lead and won five of the last seven points to complete the 25-8 victory.

The Vulcans finished with a minus .185 hitting percentage in the second set after tallying just three kills on 27 attempts. Cal U won two of the initial three points before Seton Hill rallied off 11-unanswered points to take a 12- 2 lead. The Griffins later earned seven of nine points to extend their lead to 21-8 before the Vulcans claimed five of the next seven points to work the deficit to 23-13. Seton Hill closed the set by winning back-to-back points, 25-13.

Cal U responded in the third set to finish with 16 kills and a .209 hitting percentage. The Vulcans posted a 5-2 lead to open the set before the Griffins later mounted a 13-4 run to take a 16-10 lead. Cal U rallied off five-straight points to cut the deficit to 16-15 on a block assist before later winning another five-unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead. The teams alternated points for the remainder of the set before the Vulcans posted the 25-21 victory.

The teams combined for 30 kills in the fourth set with Seton Hill completing the match win. The Griffins earned the initial eight points of the set before the Vulcans won four-straight points, including three-consecutive kills by Leto. Cal U later claimed seven of eight points to cut the deficit to 12-11 on a kill by Bucklin. The Griffins won four of the next six points before the Vulcans countered with four-straight points to take a 17-16 lead on consecutive block assists by Bellhy and van Scahik. Seton Hill responded by claiming seven of eight points to take a 23-18 lead. The Vulcans later countered by winning four-straight points before the Griffins sealed the match victory on an attack error, 25-23.

Cal U returns to action on Friday, Nov. 10, when it travels to face IUP in divisional play at 7 p.m.