ERIE, Pa. (Nov. 12) – The Vulcans secured a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament and extended their winning streak to five matches with a 3-0 win (25-20, 25-14, 25-22) at Mercyhurst in divisional action on Friday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team improves to 14-10 this season with a 9-6 mark in conference action. Cal U has qualified for the league tournament for the first time since the 2018 campaign and captured the fourth seed from the PSAC West. The Vulcans will travel to face either Gannon or Edinboro in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 16. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 10-6 overall behind a 7-10 mark in league play.

Junior Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) paced the team with 10 kills while posting a .269 hitting percentage. Junior Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) and senior Kiandria Cowart (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool) both added nine kills in the victory with Cowart hitting at a .667 clip. Senior Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) registered 20 assists and classmate Marley Goff (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) collected 18 assists on Friday.

Junior Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) led the defensive effort with 18 digs, while Moehring and Goff tallied 13 and nine digs, respectively. Sophomore Alayja Floyd (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) controlled the net, as she collected four blocks in the sweep.

Behind 19 kills and a .395 hitting percentage, the Vulcans captured the first set by a 25-20 count. The Lakers jumped out to an early 5-3 lead before Cal U won four-straight points to take a 7-5 lead on a kill by Burkey. The teams traded the next 10 points before the Vulcans won four of six points to take a 16-12 advantage on a kill by Howard. The teams traded the next eight points before Mercyhurst claimed four of six points to cut the deficit to 22-20. Cal U won the final three points and took the first set by a 25-20 margin on kills by Howard and Cowart.

Hitting at a .414 clip, Cal U was able to take a 2-0 match advantage after winning the second set by a 25-14 count. The Vulcans jumped out to an early 9-4 lead before winning five-consecutive points to take a commanding 14-4 lead on a kill by Burkey. Mercyhurst responded with a 5-2 run to trim the deficit to 16-9. The Vulcans countered by winning six of the next eight points to hold a 22-11 advantage on a kill by Floyd and a service ace by Moehring. The Lakers won three of the next four points before Cal U won the final two points to capture the second set, 25-14.

The teams combined for eight ties and five lead changes in the third set before the Vulcans collected the match victory with a 25-22 win. The teams opened the set by trading the initial eight points before Cal U went on a 4-2 run to take an 8-6 lead. The Lakers responded by winning four of the next five points to take a 10-9 advantage. The Vulcans countered with an 8-3 run to take a 17-13 lead on a service ace by Lynch. The teams traded the next six points before Mercyhurst won three of the next four points to cut the lead to 21-19 and forced a timeout. Cal U won four of the next seven points on kills by Floyd and sophomore Jaiden Armitage (Happy Valley, Ore./Clackamas) to capture the match sweep, 25-22.

The Vulcans return to action tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 13, in Erie, Pennsylvania, when they close out the regular season against Gannon in conference action at 2 p.m.