CALIFORNIA (Nov. 2) – On the final weekend of the regular season, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team posted a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-10, 25-23) over IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest action on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
 
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 19-10 overall with a 12-5 mark in conference play. Cal U also holds a 10-2 record at home this season. Seton Hill secured the top seed from the PSAC Southwest Division on Friday with a 3-1 win over Clarion. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks drop to 7-23 this season behind a 3-14 record in league action.  
 
Junior Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) registered her 11th kill/dig double-double of the season with a team-leading 17 kills and added 10 digs. Freshman Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) recorded 10 kills and 10 digs for her 13th kill/dig double-double, while senior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) totaled nine kills and nine digs. Freshman Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) tallied 44 assists and became only the second setter this decade to reach 1,000 assists in a season. The last Cal U freshman to reach the milestone was former All-American Renata da Silva (2006-09) in 2006.
 
Sophomore Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) led all players with 18 digs, while Priore and Moehring both registered double-digit digs against the Crimson Hawks. Seniors Tina Bellhy (McDonald,Pa./Fort Cherry) and van Schaik controlled the net with five and four blocks, respectively, on Friday night.
 
Cal U totaled 17 kills on a .275 hitting percentage to take the opening set by a 25-20 count. The Vulcans built a 5-3 lead before the Crimson Hawks responded with three-straight points to take a 6-5 advantage. Cal U countered with a 5-2 run to reclaim the lead at 10-8 before scoring three of the next four points to extend its advantage to 13-9. Following an IUP timeout, both teams exchanged the next four points until the Vulcans scored three-unanswered points, 19-13. The Crimson Hawks closed the gap to 23-19 before Cal U totaled two of the next three points to claim the first set, 25-20.
 
In the second set, the Vulcans established a 9-3 advantage after three-consecutive kills from Moehring. IUP tallied five of the next nine points to trim the deficit to 13-8 before Cal U scored three-straight points to force an IUP timeout. The Vulcans used a 9-2 run to close out the second set with a 25-10 win.
 
Cal U claimed the match victory by a 25-23 margin in the third set. The Vulcans took a 9-5 lead before the Crimson Hawks scored six of the next nine points to cut the deficit to 12-11. The match then was tied at 13-13 until IUP established a 15-14 advantage. Cal U registered a 7-0 run to take a 21-15 lead and forced the Crimson Hawks to take both timeouts. IUP close the gap to 23-20 after tallying five of the next seven points. Following a Vulcan timeout, the Crimson Hawks trimmed the deficit to 24-23 before Moehring sealed the match victory, 25-23.
 
The Vulcans close the regular season tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 3, as they face regionally-ranked Clarion in PSAC Southwest play at the Convocation Center, starting at 1 p.m.. Both teams have already clinched a berth in the PSAC Tournament with seeding and pairings to be determined following the match.