CALIFORNIA (Oct. 11) – Freshman Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) matched a season high with 27 digs and added 12 kills on Friday night, as the Vulcans secured a 3-1 victory over Bloomsburg in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play at the Convocation Center.
 
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team improves to 8-5 this season behind a 3-2 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Huskies fall to 6-12 overall with a 1-5 record in conference play in their second year as an intercollegiate program.
 
Burkey led the defense in digs and finished second on the team in kills to finish with her team-leading ninth kill/dig double-double this year. Sophomore Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) paced all players with 15 kills on a .216 hitting percentage and totaled 14 digs against the Huskies. Junior Madeleine McKenna (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) posted a season-high nine kills and sophomore Kiandria Cowart (East Liverpool, Pa./East Liverpool) totaled six kills on Friday. Sophomores Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) and Marley Goff (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) directed the offense with 26 and 10 assists, respectively.
 
The Vulcans featured four players with double-digit digs, as junior libero Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) collected 22 digs for her sixth match with at least 20 digs. Freshman Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) and sophomore Shelby Alloway (Hardin Northern/Dunkirk, Ohio) assisted in the defensive effort with 10 and eight digs, respectively, in the victory. Cal U also controlled the net with a season-high 7.5 blocks, led by junior Madison Kline (Hastings, Pa./Cambria Heights) with four blocks, while Benson and Cowart each notched three blocks in the contest.
 
The Vulcans started the match with a 25-20 victory in the first set after capitalizing on nine attacking errors by the Huskies. Bloomsburg established an early 3-2 lead before Cal U scored five-straight points to take a 7-3 advantage. The Huskies halted the run with a kill, but the Vulcans responded with a 7-1 run to stretch the lead to 14-5. Bloomsburg closed the gap with three-consecutive points before Cal U countered with six-straight points to hold a 21-8 lead. The Huskies answered again and trimmed the deficit with a 9-1 rally, 22-17. Following a timeout by the Vulcans, the teams exchanged the next six points and Cal U would take the set by a 25-20 margin after an attacking error.
 
Cal U took a 2-0 match advantage after claiming the second set by a 25-23 count after the set featured nine different ties. Bloomsburg would build an 8-5 lead early in the set before Cal U responded by tallying three of the next four points. The Vulcans later tied the match at 11-11 before both teams traded the next 10 points. Cal U would pull away with five-consecutive points, including a pair of kills from McKenna, but the Huskies countered with a 7-3 rally to cut the deficit to 24-23. The Vulcans sealed the set with a kill by Benson to win by a 25-23 margin.
 
In the third set, Bloomsburg would close the gap to 2-1 in the match after taking the third set, 25-23. The Huskies raced out to an early 9-5 advantage in the set, which forced Cal U to use both of its timeouts. The Vulcans trimmed the deficit to 9-8, but Bloomsburg continued to add points and stretched the lead to a 17-12 count. Cal U would slowly chip away at the lead and capitalized on six attacking errors by Bloomsburg to tie the contest at 22-22. The Huskies would hold on by scoring three of the next four points to claim the third set, 25-23.
 
The Vulcans completed the 3-1 match victory in the fourth set after totaling 13 kills on a .220 clip to win by a 25-15 margin. The Huskies would mount a 7-3 run to start the set before Cal U countered with five-straight points to take an 8-7 lead. The Vulcans stretched the advantage to 20-11 following an 11-3 run, including three kills by Moehring. Both teams would exchange the final nine points down the stretch with Cal U taking the set, 25-15, after a service error by Bloomsburg.
 
Cal U continues PSAC Crossover action tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 12, when it hosts Lock Haven on Homecoming at the Convocation Center, starting at 12 p.m.