SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. (Oct. 4) – Despite claiming the first set of the match, the Vulcans saw their six-match winning streak snapped in a 3-1 loss at Shepherd in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play on Friday night.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team drops to 7-4 this season with a 2-1 mark in conference action. Meanwhile, league-newcomer Shepherd continues its impressive season and improves to 15-0 overall with a 3-0 record in league play. It marked the first meeting between the programs since the 2016 campaign at a neutral-site tournament.
Freshman
Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) collected her fifth-straight kill/dig double-double after pacing the team with 12 kills and adding 15 digs. Sophomore
Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) posted eight kills and teammate
Kiandria Cowart (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool) contributed six kills in the loss on Friday. Sophomore
Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) directed the offense with 25 assists and a team-leading 18 digs for her 10th-consecutive assist/dig double-double this year.
Junior libero
Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) was one of three players with double-digit digs after notching 15 digs in the contest. The Vulcans recorded eight service aces on Friday with Benson matching a season-high three aces. Junior
Madison Kline (Hastings, Pa./Cambria Heights) and sophomore
Tyana Quivers (Mercersburg, Pa./James Buchanan) each anchored the net with three blocks.
The Vulcans started the contest with a 25-20 win in the first set behind 10 kills. Shepherd established an early 4-1 advantage before Cal U tallied four-straight points to take a 5-4 lead. The Rams would reclaim an 8-7 advantage until the Vulcans used a 6-1 run to hold a 13-9 lead. Shepherd countered by scoring three of the next four points before Cal U registered five-consecutive points, including a pair of kills from Quivers and Moehring to take a 19-12 lead. The Rams responded with a 6-2 rally to cut the deficit to 21-18 before the Vulcans scored four of the next six points with two kills from Burkey to win the set by a 25-20 margin.
The Rams evened the match score with a 25-19 victory in the second set behind 12 kills and four blocks. Cal U built a 5-1 lead before Shepherd answered with 8-2 rally to take a 9-7 lead. The Vulcans trimmed the deficit by tallying three of the next four points, but the Rams responded with three-straight points to hold a 14-10 advantage. The teams would exchange the next eight points before Shepherd used a short 3-1 run to take a 22-17 lead. The Rams registered three of the final five points of the set to claim a 25-19 win.
Shepherd took a 2-1 match lead after winning the third set by a 25-20 margin after tallying 14 kills on a .216 hitting percentage. The Rams mounted a 7-5 advantage before back-to-back points from Cal U tied the score at 7-7. Later in the set, the Vulcans took an 11-10 lead before Shepherd scored five-straight points to take a 15-11 advantage. The Rams then used a 7-3 run to hold a 22-14 lead before Cal U cut the deficit to 23-19 after totaling five of the next six points. Shepherd tallied a pair of the kills to close the set with a 25-20 victory.
The Rams secured the match victory with a 25-18 win in the fourth set after boasting a .257 clip. Shepherd raced out to an 11-4 advantage behind a 9-2 run before the Vulcans answered with consecutive kills. The Rams built the lead to 16-8 by scoring five of the next seven points before Cal U countered the four-unanswered points, including two kills from Burkey, 16-12. A 6-3 run by Shepherd stretched the lead to 22-15 before the teams traded points late into the set. The Rams sealed the win by a 25-18 margin on a kill in the fourth set.
Cal U continues PSAC Crossover play tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 5, when it travels to face Shippensburg at 1 p.m.
