WEST CHESTER, Pa. (Sept. 22) – The Vulcans opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play on Friday night with a 3-1 victory (25-21, 25-16, 18-25, 25-22) at West Chester, the consensus preseason PSAC Southeast favorite.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team improves to 7-5 overall. Meanwhile, West Chester falls to 10-2 this season after playing in the PSAC Tournament last year.

Senior Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and sophomore Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) combined for 33 kills in the victory. Priore tallied 18 kills on a .271 hitting percentage and Leto posted 15 kills while hitting at a .310 clip. Junior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) added seven kills against the Golden Rams. Senior Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) guided the offense with 34 assists and added a pair of service aces.

Freshman Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) led the team with 18 digs and also posted two service aces. Solo and Leto both recorded double-doubles in the victory with 17 and 15 digs, respectively, on Friday. Junior Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) and van Schaik each controlled the net with six blocks and junior Halle Murdock (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) collected four blocks.

The Vulcans continue their weekend road trip tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 23, when they travel to face Cheyney at 2 p.m.