CALIFORNIA (Oct. 20) – Behind 12 total blocks, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team sealed a 3-1 victory (25-11, 25-19, 25-27, 25-22) against West Chester on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action.
 
With the win, the Vulcans improves to 16-9 overall with a 9-4 mark in league play. Cal U moves to 9-1 at home and remains in a three-way tie for first place in Southwest Division standings. Meanwhile, the Golden Rams drop to 17-8 this season behind a 6-7 record in conference action.
 
Junior Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) paced the team with 18 kills on a .269 hitting percentage and 14 digs for her ninth kill/dig double-double of the season. Freshman Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) recorded 13 kills on .303 clip, while senior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) registered 13 kills and seven digs. Freshman Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) directed the offense with 41 assists and added six digs on Saturday.
 
Sophomore Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) tallied 21 digs and has now registered at least 20 digs in four matches this year. Priore notched double-digit digs, while freshman Shelby Alloway (Dunkirk, Ohio/Hardin Northern) finished with 12 digs. Moehring also posted nine digs versus the Golden Rams. Senior Tina Bellhy (McDonald,Pa./Fort Cherry) managed the net with eight blocks, while senior Emily Bucklin (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) and Priore both tallied four blocks.
 
Cal U recorded a .379 hitting percentage with 14 kills to claim the first set by a 25-11 count. The Vulcans established an 8-2 advantage before going on a 6-2 run to take a 14-4 lead. Following a West Chester timeout, the Golden Rams scored six of the next nine points to trim the deficit to 17-9. Cal U countered with six-straight points before winning two of the next three points to take the first set, 25-11.
 
In the second set, the Vulcans built a 6-0 lead before West Chester closed the gap with a 5-3 run. Both teams exchanged the next four points before the Golden Rams cut the deficit to 14-10. Cal U scored five of the next seven points to extend the lead to 19-12, but West Chester used a 4-1 run to trim the deficit to 20-16. The teams traded the next four points before West Chester tallied a point on a blocking error. The Vulcans claimed the second set by a 25-19 margin on an attack error by the Golden Rams.
 
West Chester secured the third set by a 27-25 count after the set featured 10 ties. Cal U tallied five-unanswered points before West Chester closed the gap by scoring five of the next six points, 6-5. The Goldens Rams tied the match at 8-8 before building a 14-11 advantage. The Vulcans responded with five-straight points before West Chester was forced to take a timeout, 16-14. The Golden Rams tied the contest at 19-19, but Cal U scored three of the next four points to take a 22-20 lead. The match would be tied four more times before the Golden Rams recorded back-to-back points to take the third set, 27-25.

The Vulcans completed the match victory with a 25-22 win in the fourth set. West Chester took a 7-4 lead before scoring six of the next nine points to hold a 13-8 advantage. Cal U used a 6-3 run to close the gap to 16-14 before tying the match at 18-18 after a pair of kills from van Schaik. The contest would feature three more times before the Vulcans tallied four-straight points to seal the match victory, 25-22.
 
The Vulcans are idle for nearly a week before returning to action on Friday, October 26, when they travel to East Stroudsburg in PSAC Crossover action at 7 p.m.