CALIFORNIA (Sept. 10) – The Vulcans registered a 3-1 win (25-23, 15-25, 25-14, 25-18) over Shepherd, which has appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times since 2018, on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center in non-conference action.

With the victory, the California (PA) volleyball team improves to 6-3 overall. Meanwhile, Shepherd has now lost three-straight matches for the first time since 2018 and sits at 8-3 this season.

Sophomore Allie Droneberger (North Beach, Md./Northern) led the offense on Saturday, as she tied a career high with 14 kills on a .313 hitting percentage and added a trio of service aces. Senior Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) contributed with 11 kills and three service aces. Junior Alayja Floyd (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) added a career-high eight kills in the win. Freshmen Ashley Barnes (Crofton, Md./Arundel) and Adrianna Favata (Peoria, Ariz./Liberty) orchestrated the offense by recording 22 assists and 15 assists, respectively.

Junior Emily Buwawa (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) anchored the defense with a team-high 12 digs and freshman Tayla Pascoe (Stockdale, Pa./California) collected 10 digs. Sophomore Sophia Johnson (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro) tallied a team-high five blocks, as the Vulcans finished with a total of 12 block assists.

In the first set, Cal totaled 18 kills and led for virtually the entire set while posting a 25-23 victory. The Vulcans won four-straight points early in the set to take a 7-2 lead on a kill by Droneberger before Shepherd later won three-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 10-8. Cal countered with three-consecutive points to build a 13-8 on a kill by Burkey before Shepherd won four of six points to trim the deficit to 15-14. The Vulcans later won four of five points to build a 22-18 lead and force the Rams to call timeout. Shepherd won three-straight points before the teams traded the last five points with Cal winning the set on a kill by Droneberger, 25-23.

The Rams tied the match score with a 25-15 win in the second set after the Vulcans hit at a .000 clip. Shepherd won six-straight points early in the set to build a 9-5 lead before Cal later cut the deficit to 12-10 on a block assist by Johnson and Burkey. The Rams then mounted an 8-3 run to stretch the lead to 20-13 and forced the second timeout by the Vulcans. Cal won back-to-back points before Shepherd captured the final five points of the set, 25-15.

The Vulcans responded with a .364 hitting percentage in the third set to earn a 25-14 victory. Cal built an early 5-1 lead behind three-consecutive service aces by Burkey and later won seven of eight points to extend the lead to 12-3. The Rams then earned five of six points to work the deficit to 16-9. Cal eventually closed the set on a 6-2 run to win the set on a service ace by Droneberger, 25-14.

Cal finished the match with a 25-18 win in the fourth set after collecting 13 kills. The Rams held an early 5-2 lead before the Vulcans rallied off six-consecutive points to take an 8-5 lead and force a timeout. Cal later won six of eight points to extend the advantage to 14-9 before Shepherd trimmed the deficit to 16-13. The Vulcans claimed back-to-back points before the Rams answered with four-straight points after calling a timeout. Cal then seized control of the set with four-straight points, including consecutive aces by Droneberger, to take a 22-17 lead. The Vulcans then won three-consecutive points to claim the match on a kill by Floyd, 25-18.

The Vulcans return to the court on Tuesday, Sept. 13, as they host defending-regional champion Gannon to start PSAC West play at 7 p.m.