JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (Nov. 6) – In a highly-competitive match, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team advanced in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament after rallying to a 3-2 victory (25-18, 16-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-8) to upset fourth-seeded Pitt-Johnstown in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
 
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 20-11 overall and have now posted at least 20 victories in a season 13 times over the last 15 years. Cal U advances to face top-seeded Gannon in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament on Friday, Nov. 9. Meanwhile, Pitt-Johnstown finishes the season with an 18-13 record.
 
Junior Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) tallied a team-leading 17 kills on a .318 hitting percentage and added 11 digs for her 12th kill/dig double-doulbe of the season. Senior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) totaled 14 kills on a .345 clip, while sophomore Maddie McGee (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) registered a career-high 14 kills and added seven digs. Senior Tina Bellhy (McDonald,Pa./Fort Cherry) notched nine kills on a .333 hitting percentage in the victory. Freshman Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) guided the offense with a career-high 54 assist and totaled 11 digs for her 12th assist/dig double-double of the year.
 
Sophomore Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) recorded her eighth match with at least 20 digs after registering 21 digs against Pitt-Johnstown. Benson posted 16 digs, while Priore and Bellhy both recorded 11 digs. The Vulcans recorded nine team blocks with Bellhy and van Schaik each posting seven blocks.
 
Cal U posted a .435 hitting percentage with 13 kills to claim the first set by a 25-18 margin. The Vulcans established a 5-2 lead in the opening set after a pair of the kills from van Schaik. Pitt-Johnstown responded by scoring four of the next six points to cut the deficit to lead to 7-5. The teams split the next four points before Cal U posted a 4-1 run to take a 13-8 advantage. The Lady Cats closed the gap by tallying three of the next four points before the Vulcans countered with three-straight points, 17-11. Following a Pitt-Johnstown timeout, Cal U scored four of the next six points to hold a 21-14 lead until the Lady Cats notched a 3-1 run. The Vulcans tallied three of final four points to secure the first set by a 25-18 count.
 
The Vulcans took an early 5-2 advantage in the second set before the Lady Cats responded with three-consecutive points to tie the match at 5-5. The set would end up tied three more times in the early going before Pitt-Johnstown totaled back-to-back kills, 11-9. Following a Cal U timeout, the teams exchanged the next six points before the Lady Cats recorded three-consecutive points to build a 17-12 lead. The teams would trade the next six points before Pitt-Johnstown extended its lead to 22-15. The Lady Cats registered three of the last four points to claim the second set by a 25-16 margin.
 
In the third set, Cal U built an early 5-4 lead before scoring four of the next five points to extend the advantage to 9-5. Pitt-Johnstown responded with a 3-1 run to close the gap to 10-8 before the Vulcans tallied consecutive kills. The Lady Cats countered with a 5-2 run to tie the match at 14-14 before scoring two of the next three to take a 16-15 lead. Following a Cal U timeout, Pitt-Johnstown notched three of the next four points to take a 19-16 advantage. The Vulcans tallied three-unanswered points to tie the match at 19-19 before the Lady Cats scored four of the next five points to reclaim the lead, 23-20. Cal U trimmed the deficit with back-to-back kills and forced Pitt-Johnstown to take a timeout. The Lady Cats registered two of the final three points to take the third set, 25-23.
 
Pitt-Johnstown took a 9-5 lead in the fourth set after five-straight points and forced Cal U to burn an early timeout. The Vulcans tallied six of the next eight points to tie the match at 11-11 before the Lady Cats countered with three-consecutive points to take a 14-11 advantage. Following a second Cal U timeout, the Vulcans responded with the 7-2 run to claim an 18-17 lead and force a Pitt-Johnstown timeout. Cal U recorded five of the next seven points to extend the advantage to 23-20 before the Lady Cats totaled three-unanswered points to tie the match at 23-23. The Vulcans tallied back-to-back points to take the fourth set by a 25-23 margin.
 
Cal U sealed the match victory by a 15-8 count in the fifth set. The Vulcans established a 5-3 lead before scoring three of the next five points to take an 8-5 advantage. After the teams switched sides, Pitt-Johnstown cut the deficit to 9-8 to force a timeout from the Vulcans. Cal U answered with six-straight points to claim the match victory, 15-8.
 
Cal U will face Gannon in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament on Friday, Nov. 9, at the Hammermill Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, with the match starting at 7:30 p.m. The Lady Knights will host both the semifinals and championship of the league tournament after posting a 3-0 victory over eighth-seeded East Stroudsburg on Tuesday.