ASHLAND, Ohio (Sept. 7) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team fell in a pair of matches on the final day of the Ashland Invitational on Saturday, suffering a 3-0 loss to Notre Dame (Ohio) before dropping a 3-2 match to Felician (N.J.).
 
With the losses, the Vulcans close the season-opening invitational in Ohio with a 1-3 record while playing teams from three different conferences.
 
Against Notre Dame (3-1), the Vulcans suffered a 3-0 loss (25-22, 25-19, 25-23) after committing 20 attacking errors in the sweep. Freshman Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) registered nine kills on a .300 hitting percentage against the Falcons. Sophomore Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) and junior Madison Kline (Hastings, Pa./Cambria Heights) finished with eight and six kills, respectively, on Saturday.
 
Sophomore Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) directed the offense and posted her second assist/dig double-double of the season with 19 assists and 12 digs. Classmate Marley Goff (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) recorded eight assists and two aces over two sets played. Junior Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio Lakeview) totaled a team-high 16 digs and posted three aces against the Falcons, while Benson notched 12 digs. Burkey and Moehring each recorded 11 digs for the defense, while Cal U was limited to one block in the match.
 
Against Felician (1-2), Cal U rallied to force a deciding fifth set before falling by a 3-2 margin (25-22, 29-27, 17-25, 17-25, 15-12) in its final match in Ohio. Senior Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) and Burkey tied for the team lead with 19 kills against the Golden Falcons. It marked a season high for both players in kills this season, while Burkey recorded a .302 clip and tallied her second kill/dig double-double of the year.
 
Benson notched her third assist/dig double-double in the early season, pacing the team with 40 assists and 14 digs. Burkey led the defense with 16 digs over five sets, while Benson and sophomore Shelby Alloway (Dunkirk, Ohio/Hardin Northern) posted 14 and 13 digs, respectively. The Vulcans registered a season-high 13 service aces in the match with Burkey and Moehring each tallying a season-high four aces against Felician.
 
Cal U returns to action next weekend when it hosts the annual Vulcan Invitational on Sept. 13-14 in the Convocation Center and Hamer Hall.