CALIFORNIA (Sept. 15) – Behind one of its best hitting performances of the season, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team captured a 3-0 victory (25-11, 25-17- 25-15) against West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center in non-conference play.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 5-4 overall while playing its sixth Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponent this fall. Meanwhile, the Bobcats fall to 0-5 this season after opening the year last weekend in Florida.

Freshman Allie Droneberger (North Beach, Md./Northern) led the team with nine kills, while sophomore Alexa Malloy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) posted seven kills and hit at a .333 clip. Junior Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) tallied six kills on just 10 attempts for a staggering .500 hitting percentage. Senior Marley Goff (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) and junior Ashlynn Gulakowski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) guided the offense with 14 and eight assists, respectively.

Sophomore Emily Buwawa (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) led a balanced defensive effort with seven digs. Droneberger and Gulakowski both posted six digs and Goff added five digs on Wednesday. Howard recorded a combined six blocks (two solo) and senior Kiandria Cowart (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool) added three blocks in the victory.

Cal U cruised to a 25-11 victory in the opening set after West Virginia Wesleyan tallied just three kills on a negative-.259 hitting percentage. The Vulcans opened the match on a 16-3 run following consecutive kills by Droneberger before the Bobcats countered with a 7-3 rally to trim the deficit to 19-10. Cal U then won six of the next seven points with West Virginia Wesleyan committing three attacking errors.

The Vulcans earned a 25-17 win in the second set behind a .760 sideout percentage. West Virginia Wesleyan started the set on a 5-2 run before the teams traded the next four points. The Vulcans then rallied off eight-consecutive points to take a 12-7 lead on a service ace by freshman Grace Dorcon (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley). Cal U later won five-straight points to build a 22-12 lead on a block assist by Droneberger and Howard before West Virginia Wesleyan claimed five of the next seven points. The Vulcans then secured the set victory on a kill by Droneberger.

Cal U registered a .258 hitting percentage in the third set to claim a 25-15 victory. The Vulcans won four-straight points twice early in the set to build an 11-5 lead behind a pair of kills and blocks by Howard. West Virginia Wesleyan won four of the next five points before Cal U rallied off six-unanswered points to take an 18-9 lead. The teams later traded runs of three-straight points before the Vulcans won three of the last four points to earn a 25-15 victory on a kill by Cowart.

The Vulcans are idle for over a week before beginning PSAC West play on Sept. 24 when they host Clarion at 6 p.m.