GREENSBURG, Pa. (Oct. 15) – The Vulcans started an eight-match road trip with a 3-0 loss (25-20, 25-15, 25-23) at Seton Hill on Tuesday night in the opening match of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest divisional play.
 
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team falls to 9-6 this season behind a 4-3 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Griffins improve to 8-7 overall with a 4-3 record in conference play and extend their winning streak in the series to six-straight matches. It marks the first meeting between the two teams since the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
 
Sophomore Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) led the team with 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and added six digs against the Griffins. Freshman Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) finished with eight kills, 10 digs and a team-leading three service aces in the match. Junior Madeleine McKenna (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and sophomore Kiandria Cowart (East Liverpool, Pa./East Liverpool) posted seven and six kills, respectively. Sophomore Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) directed the offense with 31 assists and collected a pair of aces on Friday.
 
Junior libero Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) was one of the two players with double-digit digs after pacing the team with 18 digs. The Vulcans totaled five blocks in the match with McKenna and junior Madison Kline (Hastings, Pa./Cambria Heights) each controlling the net with three blocks.
 
Seton Hill opened the match with a 1-0 lead after taking the first set by a 25-20 margin behind 15 kills on a .214 hitting percentage. The Griffins raced out a 6-3 advantage before the Vulcans scored six of the next nine points to tie the contest at 9-9. Seton Hill countered with a 9-2 rally to take an 18-11 lead and forced Cal U to use a timeout. The Vulcans would tally four of the next five points to cut the deficit to 19-15 after recording kills from three different players. The Griffins responded with back-to-back points before Cal U once again closed the gap to 21-19 by totaling four-consecutive points. Seton Hill would take the first set by a 25-20 count after scoring four of the final five points.
 
The Griffins extend the match lead to 2-0 in the second set after registering 12 kills on a .385 clip. Seton Hill started the set with four-straight points and Cal U was forced to use an early timeout. The Vulcans answered with back-to-back points, but the Griffins countered with an 8-3 run to take a 12-5 advantage. Both teams would exchange the next nine points before Seton Hill totaled four-consecutive points to extend the lead to 20-10. The teams would once again trade points down the stretch, as the Griffins secured the second set by a 25-15 margin.
 
The third set would feature eight ties and three lead changes, as Seton Hill would complete the 3-0 sweep in the third set by a score of 25-23. The Vulcans would establish a 7-3 lead after three aces before the Griffins responded with six-unanswered points to grab a 9-7 advantage. Following a Cal U timeout, the Vulcans scored three-straight points, including a pair of kills by Moehring, to take a 10-9 lead. After three different ties, Seton Hill registered a 6-0 run before Cal U countered by scoring six of the next seven points to trail by a 20-19 margin. The Griffins stretched the lead to 23-20 before the Vulcans once again tied the contest at 23-23 after posting three-consecutive points. Following a Seton Hill timeout, the Griffins sealed the match victory on back-to-back points to win the third set, 25-23.
 
Cal U returns to PSAC Crossover action on Friday, Oct. 18, when it travels to face East Stroudsburg at 7 p.m.