CALIFORNIA (Oct. 16) – Despite nearly 30 combined kills from sophomore
Jaiden Armitage (Happy Valley, Ore./Clackamas) and senior
Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County), the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team dropped a 3-1 contest (27-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-15) against Mercyhurst at the Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the loss, the Vulcans drop to 9-8 overall behind a 4-4 mark in divisional play. Meanwhile, the Lakers extend their winning streak to four matches and improve to 8-11 this season with a 4-4 record in league action.
Armitage led all players with a season-high 15 kills and committed just two attacking errors on 34 attempts for an impressive .382 hitting percentage. Moehring finished with 14 kills while hitting at a .211 clip and recorded her fifth kill/dig double-double of the season. Junior
Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) added eight kills against the Lakers. Senior
Marley Goff (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) guided the offense with 21 assists and collected her third assist/dig double-double of the year at the Convocation Center.
Junior libero
Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) paced the defensive effort with 17 digs and also tallied a career-high 10 assists in the contest. Goff and Moehring both recorded 15 digs against Mercyhurst. Howard and Armitage controlled the net with four and three blocks, respectively.
Mercyhurst rallied to win the first set by a 27-25 margin after the teams combined for eight ties and six lead changes. The Vulcans raced out to a 9-3 lead behind a pair of block assists from Armitage and Howard before the Lakers countered with an 8-1 run to claim an 11-10 lead. Cal U won back-to-back points before Mercyhurst rallied off five-consecutive points to stretch the lead to 16-12. The Lakers held a 20-15 lead before the Vulcans seized control with a 9-2 run to take a 24-22 lead. However, Mercyhurst responded by winning five of the next seven points to claim the 27-25 victory.
The Lakers led for virtually the entire second set and posted a 25-21 win. Mercyhurst posted an 8-1 run early in the set to build a 14-6 lead. The Vulcans won four of six points to work the deficit to 16-10 on a kill by Armitage and later won four-consecutive points to make it an 18-14 contest. Mercyhurst then won three of four points before Cal U answered with three-straight points, 21-18. However, the Lakers responded with back-to-back points and later posted the 25-21 victory.
In the third set, the teams combined for 12 ties and nine lead changes before Cal U earned a 25-20 win while Mercyhurst posted a negative hitting percentage. Mercyhurst claimed four of five points to take a 6-5 lead before the teams traded runs of back-to-back points three times. The Lakers then mounted 7-1 run to take a 15-10 lead before the Vulcans rallied off six-unanswered points to take a 16-15 lead on a kill by Armitage. Cal U later won four of five points to claim a 20-18 lead and ended the set on a 6-1 run to earn the 25-20 victory on a service ace by Howard.
The Lakers committed just two attacking errors in the fourth set while completing the match victory with a 25-15 win. Mercyhurst won six of eight points early in the set to take a 6-4 lead before the Vulcans won consecutive points to tie the score. After the teams traded four points, Mercyhurst mounted a 9-2 run to take a 15-9 lead. The teams later traded five-straight points before the Lakers won three-straight points to claim a 23-13 lead before posting the match victory, 25-15.
Cal U returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 19, when it travels to face Clarion at 6 p.m.
