ERIE, Pa. (Nov. 9) – The fifth-seeded Vulcans were eliminated from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament with a 3-0 loss (25-21, 26-24, 25-19) at top-seeded and host Gannon in the semifinals on Friday night.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team falls to 20-12 overall. The Vulcans now await a possible at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, as they were seeded sixth in the latest Atlantic regional rankings. Since the rankings, Cal U earned a road victory over regionally-ranked Pitt-Johnstown and faced second-seeded Gannon on the road. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights extend their winning streak to 19 matches and improve to 30-1 this season. Gannon advances to face third-seeded Seton Hill in the PSAC Championship tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 10.

Sophomore Maddie McGee (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) led the team with 12 kills while posting a .321 hitting percentage. Junior Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) finished with seven kills and senior Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) added five kills in the match. Freshman Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) guided the offense with 22 assists and recorded four service aces on Friday.

Sophomore Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) paced the team with nine digs and Priore finished with six digs. Bellhy controlled the net with a team-leading five blocks and McGee added four blocks.

Gannon led wire-to-wire in the first set before finishing with a 25-21 victory. The Lady Knights opened play on a 7-2 run before the Vulcans won three of the next four points to cut the deficit to 8-5 on a kill by McGee. Gannon countered with an 8-3 run to stretch the lead to 16-8 and forced Cal U to call a timeout. The teams traded the next four points before the Vulcans trimmed the deficit to 20-19 following back-to-back kills by senior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege), which capped a 9-2 rally. The Lady Knights later won four of the final five points in the set.

In the second set, the teams combined for six ties before the Lady Knights took a 26-24 win. Cal U won the opening three points and later claimed four-unanswered points to take a 9-5 lead on a kill by van Schaik. Gannon then responded with four-straight points to tie the score at 9-9 before back-to-back points by Cal U. The Lady Knights followed with 7-2 rally to take a 16-13 lead before the Vulcans later scored-consecutive points to tie the score at 19-19. The teams later traded six points before Cal U again tied the score at 24-24 on a service ace from McGee. Gannon responded with back-to-back points to claim the set.

The Lady Knights completed the match victory after committing just two attacking errors and hitting at a .440 clip in the third set. Gannon posted three-straight points early in the set to take a 6-4 lead before Cal U later tied the score at 8-8 on a service ace by Benson. The Lady Knights countered with three-consecutive points to take an 11-8 lead before the Vulcans later mounted a 6-3 run to tie the score at 18-18 following a kill by Priore. Gannon then rallied off six-unanswered points to take a 24-18 lead before a service error snapped the streak. The Lady Knights then sealed the match win with a kill.

The selection show for the NCAA Tournament will be streamed live on Sunday, Nov. 11, at approximately 10 p.m.