ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 5) – Facing a nationally-ranked opponent, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss (25-22, 25-14, 25-13) at No. 23 Gannon on Friday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play.
 
With the loss, the Vulcans drop to 12-8 this season behind a 5-3 record in league action. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights extend their winning streak to seven-straight matches and improve to 18-1 overall with a 7-1 mark in conference play.
 
Junior Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) paced the team with 10 kills on a .250 clip, while freshman Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) posted nine kills on a .259 hitting percentage versus Gannon. Freshman Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) led the offensive effort with 31 assists in the losing effort.
 
Sophomore Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) collected a team-high 12 digs and freshman Shelby Alloway (Dunkirk, Ohio/Hardin Northern) registered 11 digs versus the Lady Knights. Moehring and Priore recorded nine and eight digs, respectively. The Vulcans were held without a block for the first time this season.
 
The opening set featured 10 ties, while both team registered at least a .300 hitting percentage. Cal U took an early 5-1 lead, including three kills from Priore, before the Lady Knights closed the gap to tie the match at 5-5. Both teams exchanged the next eight points before Gannon scored three unanswered to take a 13-10 advantage. The Vulcans rallied back with a 5-1 run, including a pair of kills from senior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) to reclaim the lead, 15-14. Cal U built its advantage to 19-16 before the Lady Knights tied the match once again at 20-20. Gannon claimed the first set after scoring five of the next seven points to win by a 25-22 count.
 
In the second set, the Vulcans opened up an early 3-0 lead before the Lady Knights countered with six-straight points to take a 6-3 advantage. Cal U responded by scoring six of the next eight points to retake the lead at 9-8. Gannon answered with five-unanswered points to force Cal U to call a timeout, 13-9. A 9-3 run by the Lady Knights allowed them to build an comfortable 22-12 advantage. Gannon tallied three of the next five points to take the second set by a 25-14 margin.
 
The Lady Knights complete the match sweep with a 25-13 victory in the third set. Gannon raced out to an early 8-2 advantage and forced the Vulcans to take a timeout. The Lady Knights continued to hold a comfortable lead throughout the set and scored four-straight points to take a 19-9 advantage. Cal U responded with a 3-1 run to cut the deficit to 20-12. Gannon sealed the match victory by scoring five of the next six points take claim the set, 25-13.
 
The Vulcans return to action, tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 6, as they remain in Erie, Pennsylvania, to face Mercyhurst at 4 p.m.