SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. (Sept. 7) – Facing a program that appeared in the NCAA Tournament last year, the Vulcans captured a 3-0 victory (25-22, 25-19, 25-23) at Shepherd on Wednesday night at the Butcher Athletic Center in non-conference play.

With the win, the California (PA) volleyball team improves to 5-3 overall while winning its first road match in the series with Shepherd since the 2010 campaign. Meanwhile, the Rams fall to 8-2 this season after opening the year with eight-straight victories.

Senior Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) and sophomore Allie Droneberger (North Beach, Md./Northern) tied for the team lead with nine kills, while senior Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) added seven kills in the victory. Freshmen Ashley Barnes (Crofton, Md./Arundel) and Adrianna Favata (Peoria, Ariz./Liberty) guided the offense with 14 and 13 assists, respectively. Droneberger also collected four service aces on Wednesday night.

Junior Emily Buwawa (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) and Favata both anchored the defensive effort with 10 digs, as Favata recorded her second assist/dig double-double of the season. Sophomore Sophia Johnson (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro) collected a season-high seven blocks, while the trio of Burkey, junior Alayja Floyd (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) and Howard each added four blocks in the win.

Cal took an early lead with a 25-22 win in the opening set after Shepherd committed 10 attacking errors. The Rams claimed six of the initial seven points in the set to force a timeout by the Vulcans. Cal responded with four-consecutive points before Shepherd mounted a 7-1 run to extend its lead to 13-6. Following another timeout, the Vulcans earned six-straight points to cut the deficit to 13-12 on a block assist by Droneberger and Johnson. Shepherd countered with three of the next four points before Cal won five of seven points to tie the score at 18-18 on a service ace by Burkey. After a timeout by the Rams, the teams traded the next five points before the Vulcans earned the final five points of the set, including a kill by Johnson on set point.

In the second set, the Vulcans posted a .290 hitting percentage with just three attacking errors to earn a 25-19 victory. The score was tied at 5-5 before the Vulcans won five-straight points to take a 10-5 lead on a service ace by Droneberger. Shepherd countered with four-consecutive points before Cal again captured five-unanswered points to claim a 15-9 lead. The Rams then won six of the next seven points to trim the deficit to 16-15 before the Vulcans posted an 8-3 run to take a 24-18 lead on an ace by Droneberger. Cal later secured the set victory on a kill by Burkey.

The teams combined for seven lead changes and 14 ties in the third set before Cal finished with a 25-23 win. Cal and Shepherd traded runs of three-straight points early in the set before the Vulcans later tied the score at 7-7 on an ace by Droneberger. The Vulcans won four of five points to take a 12-11 lead before eventually winning three-consecutive points to seize a 17-15 lead on back-to-back kills by Burkey. Following a timeout, Shepherd won four-straight points to take 19-17 lead before Cal responded with five-unanswered points to take a 22-19 lead on a kill by Droneberger. The Rams won four of the next five points to tie the score at 23-23 before the Vulcans posted back-to-back kills to seal the match win.
 
The Vulcans continue the non-conference series with Shepherd on Saturday, Sept. 10, as they host the Rams at the Convocation Center with play starting at 2 p.m.