EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. (Oct. 26) – In a key match between regionally-ranked teams, the Vulcans recorded a 3-1 victory (25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20) at East Stroudsburg on Friday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play.
 
With the win, California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team improves to 17-9 this season behind a 10-4 record in league action. The Vulcans were slotted seventh in the initial Atlantic region rankings this week, while the Warriors were positioned eighth in the rankings. Cal U also now sits in a tie with Seton Hill for first place in the Southwest Division standings after Clarion was swept at Millersville. Meanwhile, ESU falls to 19-7 overall with a 9-5 mark in conference play.
 
Junior Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) led all players with 19 kills on a .321 clip and added 20 digs for her 10th kill/dig double-double of the season. Freshman Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) recorded a kill/dig double-double, her 11th of the year, with a season-high 18 kills and added 14 digs. Senior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) notched nine kills and eight digs against the Warriors. Freshman Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) guided the offense with 43 assists and 13 digs in the victory.
 
Sophomore Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) posted a season-high 24 digs and has registered at least 20 digs in three of the last four matches. Priore tallied her second match this season with at least 20 digs, while Benson and Moehring both registered double-digit digs on Friday. Senior Tina Bellhy (McDonald,Pa./Fort Cherry) controlled the net with five blocks, while van Schaik and fellow senior Emily Bucklin (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) totaled four and three blocks, respectively, on the road.
 
Cal U established a 7-2 lead in the first set after ESU opened the match with three-straight attacking errors. The Warriors tallied five of the next seven points to close the gap to 9-7 before the Vulcans responded with back-to-back points, 11-7. Both teams traded points midway through the set before ESU trimmed the deficit to 18-16 and forced a Cal U timeout. The Warriors remained within striking distance of the lead before the Vulcans recorded three-consecutive points to build a 22-18 advantage. Both teams exchanged the final six points before Cal U claimed the first set on a kill from Priore, 25-21
 
The Warriors posted a .343 hitting percentage with 15 kills to take the second set by a 25-20 margin. ESU opened up a 6-3 advantage before both teams traded the next eight points in the set. The Warriors tallied six of the next eight points to take a 16-9 lead before the Vulcans used a 4-2 run to cut the deficit to 18-13. ESU held a comfortable 21-15 lead before Cal scored three-straight points to close the gap to 21-18. Following a Warrior timeout, ESU registered four of the next six points to secure the second set, 25-20
 
The third set featured 11 ties before the Vulcans posted a 25-22 win. Cal U used a short run and built a 16-14 lead after the initial 18 points of the set resulted in eight different ties. The Vulcans scored four of the next seven points to hold a 20-17 lead before both teams would exchange the next six points. Cal U would take the third set by a 25-22 count following a kill by Priore.

The Vulcans completed the match victory with a 25-20 win in the fourth set. Cal U took a 5-1 lead before scoring four of the next six points to extend the lead to 9-4. The Warriors rallied with three-consecutive points before a 5-4 run trimmed the deficit to 13-12. Cal U responded with three-unanswered points, but ESU recorded four of the next six points to close the gap to 18-16. Following a Cal U timeout, both teams traded the next four points before the Vulcans notched back-to-back points to take a 22-18 advantage. Priore sealed the match victory on a kill by a 25-21 margin after the teams split the final six points
 
Cal U continues PSAC Crossover play tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 27, when they travel to face Kutztown at 1 p.m.