CALIFORNIA (Oct. 22) – The Vulcans suffered a 3-0 loss (25-20, 31-29, 25-20) against IUP in the Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California (PA) volleyball team falls to 11-10 overall with a 5-7 mark in divisional action. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks improve to 18-5 this season and 8-4 in conference play.

Senior Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) and freshman Elisa Rugiero (Vicenza, Italy/Farina Vicenza) both paced the team with 10 kills with Rugiero hitting at a .286 clip and Burkey registering a .241 hitting percentage. Sophomore Allie Droneberger (North Beach, Md./Northern) added eight kills in the match. Sophomore Rachel Simon (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) contributed 29 assists while guiding the offense. Burkey tallied a pair of service aces in the match.

Defensively, junior Alayja Floyd (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) controlled the net with four blocks and Simon tied a career best with three blocks. Senior Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) led the team with 11 digs, while freshman Tayla Pascoe (Stockdale, Pa./California) and Droneberger each finished with six digs.

Cal rolled to a 5-0 lead early in the first set until IUP answered with a 6-0 run and led by a 6-5 margin. The Vulcans scored three-consecutive points, all of which came by IUP errors. A back-and-forth set progressed as both teams traded the next 16 points with Cal holding a 16-14 lead. The Crimson Hawks regained the lead after a 6-1 run and led by a 20-17 advantage. The Vulcans collected back-to-back points on kills by Droneberger and Burkey to trim the deficit to one point, however, IUP executed a 5-1 run to finish the first set by a 25-20 margin.

After trailing 5-4 in the second set, Cal scored four-consecutive points to seize an 8-5 lead. The Crimson Hawks were able to tie the set at 10-10 after scoring five of the next seven points. The teams traded the next 10 points, as the score remained tied at 15-15. The Crimson Hawks then conducted a 5-3 run and jumped out to a 20-18 advantage, however, the Vulcans answered with four-straight points, including three kills. IUP orchestrated a 4-1 run and forced set point with a 24-23 lead. The last three points of the set featured four lead changes, as both teams faced set point multiple times. Cal prevailed after trailing 27-26 and took a 29-28 lead until the Crimson Hawks collected three-consecutive points to capture the second set, 31-29.

The Vulcans jumped out to an early 7-3 lead after scoring six-straight points. IUP cut the deficit to 9-8 when Cal extended its lead to 13-9 following a kill from Droneberger. The Crimson Hawks claimed a 20-17 lead after an 11-4 run that started with an attack error from the Vulcans. Cal and IUP traded the next four points until the Crimson Hawks finished the set and match on a 3-1 run, 25-20.

The Vulcans are back in action on Friday, Oct. 28, as they travel to face Edinboro in a league match at 6 p.m.