RINDGE, N.H. (Aug. 24) – The Vulcans opened the year with a pair of 3-1 victories over Texas A&M International and Wilmington (Del.) on Friday while playing at the Raven First Serve Invitational hosted by Franklin Pierce.
Against Texas A&M International (1-1), Cal U nearly hit at a .300 clip with four players tallying at least eight kills in the 3-1 win (25-10, 24-26, 25-17, 25-9). Junior
Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) led the team with 14 kills on a .312 hitting percentage, while freshman
Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) added 12 kills in her college debut. Seniors
Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) and
Tina Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) finished with 11 and eight kills, respectively, in the season-opening match.
Freshman
Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) registered an assist/dig double-double in the victory, pacing the team with 41 assists and 19 digs in her college debut. Sophomore
Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) posted 13 digs versus the Dustdevils and Moehring totaled seven digs. Benson and fellow freshman
Shelby Alloway (Dunkirk, Ohio/Hardin Northern) both collected three service aces, while Bellhy controlled the net with four blocks.
Against Wilmington (Del.), the trio of Moehring, Priore and van Schaik combined for 40 kills in a 3-1 victory (23-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-15). A native of Florida, Moehring tallied a kill/dig double-double versus the Wildcats with team-best totals of 14 kills and 14 digs. Priore tied for the team lead with 14 kills on an impressive .481 hitting percentage and van Schaik posted 12 kills. Benson guided the offense with 44 assists on Friday evening in the win.
Silbaugh tied for the team lead with 14 digs and added four service aces, while Alloway and Benson contributed 10 and nine digs, respectively. Bellhy and van Scaik registered a combined 11 blocks (all assists) with Bellhy leading all players with six blocks.
The Vulcans continue play in New Hampshire tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 25, against New Haven (Conn.), which won both the NE-10 Conference and NCAA East Regional Championships in 2017, and host Franklin Pierce.
