CALIFORNIA (Nov. 6) – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team extended its winning streak to four matches on Senior Day with a 3-1 victory (20-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-20) over Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at the Convocation Center.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 13-10 this season behind an 8-6 mark in conference play. Cal U now holds a two-match lead for the final spot in the PSAC Tournament with two matches left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats fall to 12-10 overall with a 5-8 record in league play.

Sophomore Jaiden Armitage (Happy Valley, Ore./Clackamas) paced the team with 13 kills, while juniors Chelsea Howard (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) and Kaylin Burkey (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) both added 11 kills in the win with Howard hitting at an impressive .524 clip. Senior Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) registered 10 kills on Saturday. Senior Marley Goff (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) collected 27 assists for a consecutive match and classmate Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) tallied 15 assists over four sets.

Junior Kelly Lynch (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) led the defense with 23 digs, while Moehring recorded a season-high 20 digs to finish a kill/dig double-double in the victory. Sophomore Alayja Floyd (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) controlled the net with a season-high seven blocks, while Armitage and Burkey recorded four and three blocks, respectively.

UPJ used three big runs during the opening set to earn a 25-20 victory. The Vulcans went on a 6-2 run to open the set before winning three of four points to take a 9-3 lead and forced a timeout. The Mountain Cats responded with an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 11-9. The teams traded the next six points before UPJ won four of five points to take a 16-15 lead. After the Vulcans won back-to-back points, the Mountain Cats won five-consecutive points to hold a 21-17 advantage. The teams exchanged the next six points before the Mountain Cats took the set by a 25-20 margin.

Behind 16 kills and a .308 hitting percentage, the Vulcans were able to even the match with a 25-18 win in the second set. The Mountain Cats jumped out to an early 7-4 lead before the Vulcans won three of the next four points on a kill by Howard to trail 8-7. Cal U won five of the next seven points before UPJ won three-consecutive points to hold a 13-12 lead. Cal U responded by winning five-straight points on kills by Armitage and Howard to hold a 17-13 lead and force a timeout. The teams traded the next eight points before Moehring capped off a 4-1 run to end the set with a kill and give the Vulcans a 25-18 win.

The teams combined for nine ties in the third set before Cal U was able to capture a 25-22 victory. The two teams traded the opening eight points before the Vulcans won four-consecutive points to hold an 8-4 lead on a kill by Burkey. After trading the next four points, UPJ mounted a 4-0 run to even the score at 10-10 and force a timeout. Cal U responded with a 9-3 run, sparked by three-straight service aces from Goff, to hold a 17-13 lead. The Mountain Cats registered five-consecutive points to take a 18-17 lead and force a timeout. The Vulcans responded with a 6-2 run before the teams traded the remaining four points and collected a 25-22 win.

Cal U won five-consecutive points to open the fourth set and later increased the lead to 11-6 on a kill by senior Kiandria Cowart (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool). UPJ responded with a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to 12-10 and force a timeout. The Vulcans registered four-straight points before the Mountain Cats won three-consecutive points to cut the lead to 16-13. Cal U extended its lead after mounting a 5-0 run on kills by Howard and Armitage and held a 21-13 lead. UPJ countered with a 4-0 run before the teams traded the remaining eight points and sealed the match by a count of 25-20 on a block by Floyd and Moehring.

Cal U returns to action on Friday, Nov. 12, when it travels to Erie, Pennsylvania, to face Mercyhurst in conference action at 7 p.m.