INDIANA, Pa. (Oct. 9) – Behind a season-high 17 kills from junior Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman), the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team closed its five-match road trip with a 3-1 victory (23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 26-24) at IUP on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 9-6 overall while extending their winning streak to four matches. Cal U sits in a three-way tie for the second place in the divisional standings with a 4-2 mark. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks fall to 11-10 this season behind a 2-4 record in league play.

Burkey tallied 17 kills and committed just one attacking error on Saturday to finish with a .552 hitting percentage. Senior Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) added 16 kills and hit at a .256 clip, while senior Kiandria Cowart (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool) and junior Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) finished with eight and seven kills, respectively. Senior Marley Goff (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) tallied 25 assists, her fourth-straight match reaching the mark, and classmate Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) collected 22 assists in the victory.

Moehring led the team with 15 digs to mark her fourth kill/dig double-double of the season. Goff registered 13 digs for her second assist/dig double-double this year and junior Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) finished with 12 digs. Howard controlled the net in the victory with five blocks, including four solo.

IUP claimed the first set by a 25-23 count after hitting at a .326 clip. The Crimson Hawks opened play with a 4-1 lead and later won five of seven points to take a 10-6 lead. Following a timeout, Cal U rallied off four-consecutive points to tie the score at 10-10. IUP later claimed four-straight points to take a 15-11 lead before Cal U won four of five points to take a 16-15 lead on a kill by Howard. The Crimson Hawks responded with a 5-2 run to take a 21-17 lead before the Vulcans won six of eight points to tie the score at 23-23 on a service ace. Following a timeout, IUP won back-to-back points to earn the 25-23 victory.

The second set featured 12 ties and five lead changes while the Vulcans posted a .355 hitting percentage in the 25-20 win. Cal U won three-straight points early in the set to take a 9-8 lead on a solo block. The Crimson Hawks then won five of eight points to take the lead by a 13-12 margin. Cal U responded with three-unanswered points following a pair of blocks by Howard to take a 15-13 lead. With the score tied at 17-17, the Vulcans mounted an 8-3 run to win the set by a 25-20 margin.

Cal U took the match lead after winning the third set by a 25-14 count after IUP was forced to a negative hitting percentage. The Vulcans won three-straight points early in the set to take a 6-3 lead. IUP later claimed three of four points to cut the deficit to 9-8 before Cal U won five of six points to take a 14-9 lead on a service ace. Following a timeout, the Crimson Hawks cut the deficit to 15-12 before the Vulcans responded with a 10-2 run to close the set with a 25-14 victory.

The teams combined for 13 ties and three lead changes in the fourth set with the Vulcans earning a 26-24 win to claim the match victory. Cal U won three-straight points early in the set to take a 5-4 lead on a kill by Burkey. With the score tied, the Vulcans recorded three-unanswered points to take a 13-10 lead on a service ace by Benson before the Crimson Hawks claimed three of four points. Cal U countered with a 7-2 run to take a 20-14 lead before IUP rallied off six-unanswered points to tie the score at 20-20. Following a timeout, the Vulcans won three of four points before the Crimson Hawks tied the score twice. Howard and Burkey recorded back-to-back kills to secure the match win, 26-24.

Cal U returns to action on Friday, Oct. 15, when it hosts the 2019 NCAA Atlantic Region Champion Gannon at 6 p.m.