CALIFORNIA (Sept. 30) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team rallied past East Stroudsburg for a 3-2 victory (25-20, 25-27, 23-25, 25-22, 15-11) in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action at the Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Vulcans move to 10-5 overall behind a 4-0 record in conference play. Meanwhile, the Warriors drop to 10-5 this year with a 1-3 mark in league action.
Cal U featured three players with double-digit kills in the comeback win over ESU. Sophomore
Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) led the team with 18 kills on 66 attacks, while junior
Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) tallied 16 kills on a .237 hitting percentage. Junior
Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) and senior
Ashley Leto (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) finished with 12 and seven kills, respectively, against the Warriors. The offense was guided by senior
Taylor Solo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) and sophomore
Samantha Raidt (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) with Solo posting 33 assists and Raidt collecting 16 assists.
The defensive effort was patrolled by freshman
Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview), who notched 28 digs in the victory. Leto registered 22 digs versus ESU and van Schaik recorded a double-double with 10 digs. Bellhy controlled the net with six blocks and Leto added five blocks.
The Vulcans posted 14 kills on a .244 hitting percentage in the opening set to produce a 25-20 win. Cal U took an early 3-1 lead on back-to-back kills by van Schaik before Silbaugh recorded a service ace. East Stroudsburg recorded seven of the next 10 points to take an 8-6 lead. Both teams exchanged points throughout the set as the score was tied 12-12. The Vulcans responded with an 8-4 run to reclaim the lead at 20-16 before the Warriors trimmed the deficit to 21-10. Cal U closed out the first set with four-straight points, including three kills, to earn the win on an attacking error by ESU, 25-20
East Stroudsburg mounted a comeback win in the second set to level the match with a 27-25 victory. The Warriors notched a 7-4 lead before the Vulcans rallied to tie the set at 11-11 on a pair of kills from Solo. Cal U and ESU went back and forth as the set was tied seven different times before the Vulcans took a commanding 24-21 lead on kills by van Schiak and Leto. However, East Stroudsburg rallied with a 6-1 run to claim the set, 27-25.
The Warriors used the momentum to secure the third set and take a 2-1 match lead with a 25-23 win. ESU recorded an early 8-1 run before Cal U stuck around to knot the match at 11-11 as Bellhy registered four kills during the comeback. The set remained close until East Stroudsburg won five of six points to retake the lead at 21-19. The Vulcans reclaimed the lead at 22-21 following back-to-back attacking errors and a kill by Priore. The Warriors would take four of the next five points to take the set, 25-23.
Cal U tallied 11 kills in the fourth set to tie the match 2-2 with a 25-22 win. The Vulcans opened the set on a 4-1 run before the Warriors won five-straight points to take a 6-4 lead before Cal U called timeout. The Vulcans then won six of nine points to take a 10-8 lead. Following a timeout, East Stroudsburg trimmed the lead to 14-13 as the home side committed three attacking errors. The Vulcans went on a 5-2 run to force the Warriors to take a timeout. Cal U claimed the final five points of the set with van Schaik recording three kills and one solo block.
The Vulcans completed the match victory with a 15-11 win after only surrendering the lead once in the final set. Cal U took the opening three points of the set before ESU went on a 4-0 run to take its only lead of the fifth set. The Vulcans would go on to win 11 of the next 13 points to take a commanding 14-7 lead. East Stroudsburg countered with four-straight points before Priore registered a kill to complete the victory, 15-11.
Cal U continues PSAC Crossover play on Friday, Oct. 6, when it travels to face Slippery Rock at 7 p.m.
