CALIFORNIA (Oct. 12) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team registered a season-high 17 service aces on Saturday afternoon in a 3-0 sweep over Lock Haven in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action at the Convocation Center.
 
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 9-5 overall with a 4-2 record in conference play after defeating the Bald Eagles for a fifth-straight time dating back to 2015 season. Meanwhile, Lock Haven drops to 6-11 this year behind a 0-7 mark in league action.
 
Junior Madeleine McKenna (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) led all players and matched her career high with 11 kills on a .611 hitting percentage. Sophomore Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) finished with eight kills on a .368 clip and led the defensive effort with 12 digs. Sophomore Kiandria Cowart (East Liverpool, Pa./East Liverpool) and freshman Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) totaled seven and six kills, respectively. Sophomore Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) guided the offense with 30 assists and tallied a pair of service aces against the Bald Eagles.
 
Junior libero Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) assisted the defense with nine digs and Burkey added five digs in the victory. The Vulcans set a season-high with 17 service aces, led by Burkey with a season-high seven aces. Silbaugh and freshman Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) both tallied four aces in the win.
 
Cal U opened the first set with a 25-23 win after the set featured 14 ties and 10 lead changes. The Vulcans built an early 6-4 advantage before both teams traded the next four points. Lock Haven would take the lead after scoring three-consecutive points, but Cal U countered with back-to-back kills to hold a 10-9 advantage. The Bald Eagles then recorded four of the next five points to take a 13-11 lead before the Vulcans totaled five-straight points, including two aces from Silbaugh, 16-13. The match would be tied three more times late in the set before the Vulcans notched three-consecutive points to take a 21-19 advantage. Lock Haven would reclaim the lead at 22-21 before Cal U countered by scoring four of the next five points to take the first set by a 25-23 margin.
 
The Vulcans stretched the match lead to 2-0 after tallying 14 kills on a staggering .700 hitting percentage in the second set. Cal U raced out to an 11-1 advantage early in the set with Cowart collecting three kills during the stretch. The Bald Eagles scored three of the next four points to cut into the deficit before the Vulcans went on an 8-2 run, including kills from four different players, to take a 20-7 lead. Cal U notched five of the next eight points to secure the set by a 25-9 count.
 
Cal U completed the 3-0 sweep by taking the third set by a 25-16 margin behind 11 kills on a .355 clip. The Vulcans started the set on a 7-0 run, including five aces from Burkey. The teams would exchange the next seven points before Cal U posted three-consecutive points to extend the lead, 14-4. Lock Haven closed the gap to 17-9 before the Vulcans scored four of the next five points to hold a 21-10 advantage. The Bald Eagles responded late with a 6-2 rally, but Cal U tallied back-to-back points to seal the victory, 25-16.

The Vulcans are set to begin an eight-match road trip starting on Tuesday, Oct. 15, when they travel to face Seton Hill in nearby Greensburg, Pennsylvania, at 7 p.m.