ERIE, Pa. (Nov. 1) – Despite featuring three players with double-digit kills on Friday night, the Vulcans suffered a 3-2 loss (24-26, 19-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-8) at Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play.
 
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team falls to 11-10 this season behind a 6-7 record in league action. The Vulcans now hold a 5-3 record this year in five-set matches. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst snapped a five-match losing streak and improves to 14-10 overall with a 6-7 mark in conference play. The Lakers also claimed their first win over Cal U since the 2015 campaign.
 
Junior Madison Kline (Hasting, Pa./Cambria Heights) paced the team with a career-high 15 kills on a .393 hitting percentage, while freshman Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) finished with 12 kills against the Lakers. Sophomore Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) tallied her 11th kill/dig double-double of the season after matching a career high with 21 digs and totaling 10 kills. Junior Madeleine McKenna (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) also registered nine kills on a .227 clip on Friday night. Sophomore Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) directed the offense with 46 assists and 14 digs for her 14th assist/dig double-double this year. She has also recorded at least 40 assists in 10 matches.
 
The Vulcans featured three players with over 20 digs in the contest, led by junior libero Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) with a season-high 29 digs. Sophomore Shelby Alloway (Dunkirk, Ohio/Hardin Northern) set a career high with 21 digs, while Moehring also finished with 21 digs on Friday night. The Vulcans collected 14 service aces with Moehring registering a team-leading four aces in the match, while Benson and Silbaugh each tallied three aces. Cal U controlled the net with eight total blocks after freshman Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) notched four blocks, while Kline and Burkey both posted three blocks against the Lakers.
 
The Vulcans took a 1-0 advantage by claiming the first set by a 26-24 margin behind 12 kills and three aces. Cal U built an early 11-6 lead before Mercyhurst answered with back-to-back points. The Vulcans extended the advantage after three-straight points, but the Lakers responded with an 8-2 rally to the tie the match at 16-16. Mercyhurst then would grab a 20-19 lead before Cal U countered with four-consecutive points, 23-20. The Lakers once again tied the contest at 23-23, but the Vulcans scored three of the final four points to take the first set by a 26-24 margin.
 
Cal U extended the lead to 2-0 after tallying 12 kills and securing a 25-19 win in the second set. Both teams exchanged points to start the set, as Cal U held a 7-6 advantage. The Vulcans then went on an 8-0 run, including three kills from Burkey and a pair of aces by Benson, to take a 15-6 lead. Mercyhurst answered with an 8-2 rally to trim the deficit to 17-14 before Cal U scored seven of the next eight points to extend the lead to 24-15. The Lakers battled off set point four times before the Vulcans secured the second set on a service error, 25-19.
 
Both teams totaled 17 kills in the third set, as Mercyhurst trimmed the deficit to 2-1 with a 26-24 win. The Lakers raced out to a 6-1 lead before Cal U responded with three-unanswered points. Mercyhurst would eventually stretch the advantage to 15-10 before the Vulcans went on an 11-4 rally to take a 21-19 lead. The Lakers then scored four of the next six points to reclaim the lead 23-22 before Cal U countered with consecutive points. Mercyhurst would battle off match point and scored three-straight points to claim the third set by a 26-24 margin.
 
The Lakers tied the match at 2-2 after capitalizing on 10 attacking errors by the Vulcans in the fourth set. Cal U established an 8-4 lead early in the set before Mercyhurst collected five-consecutive points to take a 9-8 advantage. The Vulcans would score five of the next seven points, but the Lakers responded with a 7-2 rally to take an 18-15 lead. Both teams exchanged the next eight points before the Vulcans tied the match at 22-22 on three-straight points. Mercyhurst then scored three of the final four points to take the fourth set, 25-23.
 
In the fifth set, Mercyhurst completed the comeback victory after posting 11 kills on a .375 clip to win the set, 15-8. The Lakers built a 5-1 lead before Cal U answered with consecutive kills. Mercyhurst then went on an 8-3 run to stretch the lead to 13-6. The Vulcans halted the run on a kill from Howard, but the Lakers would collect two more kills to claim the match victory, 15-8.
 
Cal U concludes its eight-match road trip tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 2, when it faces Edinboro in PSAC Crossover play at 5 p.m.