CLARION, Pa. (Oct. 19) – The Vulcans opened the second round of divisional play on Tuesday night with a 3-0 loss (25-14, 25-18, 25-23) at Clarion in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team falls to 9-9 this season and drops to sixth in the league standings with a 4-5 mark. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles extend their winning streak to five matches and improve to 15-6 overall behind a 7-2 record in divisional play.

Senior Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) and junior Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) tied for the team lead with seven kills with Moehring hitting at a .278 clip. Sophomore Alexa Malloy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) added four kills in the losing effort. Senior Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) led the team with 12 assists on Tuesday night.

Junior Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) paced the defensive effort with 18 digs. Junior Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) and sophomore Alayja Floyd (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) led the team with four and three blocks, respectively.

The Vulcans were limited to a .043 hitting percentage while dropping the opening set by a 25-14 count. Clarion started the set on a 4-2 run before Cal U countered with four of five points to take a 6-5 lead on an attacking error. After the teams traded four points, the Golden Eagles mounted an 8-1 rally to seize a 15-9 lead and later won three-straight points to extend the lead to 18-10. The teams traded five points before Clarion won five of six points to earn the 25-14 victory.

Clarion led wire-to-wire in the second set while posting a 25-18 win. The Golden Eagles won the initial four points and built a 6-1 lead before the Vulcans worked the deficit down to 12-10 after winning three-straight points. Clarion later won seven of eight points to take a 22-15 lead before the teams traded the final six points in the set.

The Vulcans hit at a .167 clip in the third set yet were unable to tie or take the lead in the set, falling by a 25-23 margin. Clarion won the opening six points of the set to force a timeout and later held a 9-1 lead before Cal U rallied off three-straight points to trim the deficit to 9-4. The Golden Eagles won six of eight points to extend the lead to 15-6 before the Vulcans posted a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 21-18. Cal U later claimed four of five points before Clarion closed the match with a 25-23 victory.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 23, when it opens a five-match homestand by hosting PSAC West-leading Edinboro at 4 p.m.