CALIFORNIA (Nov. 12) – Facing a regionally-ranked opponent on Tuesday night, the Vulcans suffered a 3-2 loss (23-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-12, 15-7) against Seton Hill in a five-set thriller at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest play.
 
With the loss, the Vulcans drop to 12-13 this season behind a 7-10 record in league action. Cal U now holds a 5-4 mark this year in five-set matches. Meanwhile, the Griffins extend their winning streak to four-straight matches and improve to 17-9 overall with a 12-5 mark in conference play.
 
Sophomore Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) registered her 13th kill/dig double-double of the season after leading the team with 15 kills on a .235 hitting percentage and adding 13 digs and two aces. Freshman Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) totaled 12 kills and seven digs, while junior Madison Kline (Hastings, Pa./Cambria Heights) posted nine kills against the Griffins. Sophomore Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) guided the offense with 40 assists, eight digs and two aces on Tuesday.
 
The Vulcans featured four players with double-digit digs, led by junior libero Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) with 20 digs in the match. Freshman Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) ranked second on the team with 15 digs, while sophomore Shelby Alloway (Dunkirk, Ohio/Hardin Northern) collected 14 digs against the Griffins while playing all five sets. Kline controlled the net with five blocks and freshman Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) followed with four blocks in the match.
 
The first set featured 16 ties and eight lead changes, as the Vulcans claimed the set by a 25-23 margin behind 11 kills. After limited separation early in the set, Cal U scored three-consecutive points to take an 11-9 advantage before Seton Hill answered with back-to-back points to tie the match, 11-11. The Vulcans then tallied six of the next nine points to take 17-14 lead before a 5-2 run by the Griffins once again tied the match, 19-19. The teams would trade the next four points before Seton Hill took a 23-22 advantage. Cal U responded with three-straight points to take the first set, 25-23.
 
The Vulcans would extend the lead to 2-0 after totaling 13 kills and capitalizing on seven attacking errors. The Griffins held an early 7-6 lead before Cal U countered with five-unanswered points, including three kills from Burkey, to take an 11-7 advantage. Following a timeout, the Griffins closed the gap by scoring four of the next five points before the Vulcans went on a 7-2 run to take a 19-13 lead. Seton Hill would work the deficit down to 23-20 before Cal U tallied consecutive points to take the second set by a 25-20 margin.
 
The Griffins cut the deficit to 2-1 after recording a match-high 17 kills and taking the third set by a score of 25-19. Seton Hill raced out to a 9-3 advantage before the Vulcans registered six-straight points to tie the game, 9-9. Following a Seton Hill timeout, both teams traded points until the Griffins went on a 10-2 run to take a 22-16 lead. Cal U closed the gap by scoring three of the next four points before Seton Hill secured the third set with consecutive kills, 25-19
 
Seton Hill tied the match in the fourth set after racing out a 9-2 lead early in the set. The Vulcans responded by scoring five of the next seven points to trim the deficit to 11-7. The Griffins maintained the lead with a 9-4 run to hold a 20-11 advantage before forcing the Vulcans into a timeout. Seton Hill then tallied five of the final six points to claim the fourth set by a 25-12 margin.
 
The Griffins completed the comeback victory in the fifth set after posting nine kills on a .429 clip. Seton Hill took a quick 7-0 lead before Cal U answered with two-straight points. The teams would exchange the next six points before a 5-2 run by the Griffins sealed the fifth set, 15-7.
 
Cal U returns to action on Friday, Nov. 15, when it faces IUP in PSAC Southwest Division play in the Convocation Center, starting at 6 p.m.