CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The West Chester University volleyball team continued its western road trip on Saturday afternoon, as the squad traveled to Hamer Hill to square off against Southwest Division representative California (Pa.) in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action. Although the Golden Rams did manage to extend the match after trailing 0-2, the host Vulcans would claim the 3-1 (25-11, 25-19, 25-27, 25-22) victory on Saturday to hand WCU its fifth loss in a row.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Vulcans (16-9, 9-4 PSAC) came out the gate strong, winning the first two sets by a combined margin of 20 points.
- Leading 2-0, the home team raced out to a commanding 5-0 advantage to start the third frame. Down 10-9, West Chester (17-8, 6-7 PSAC) would score five of the next six points to take a slim 14-12 advantage. Cal U quickly responded with a 5-0 spurt to go up 16-14 and both teams then went on to exchange points until the scoreboard read 24-24 late in the stanza. A kill by California's Rachel Priore put the home team in front 25-24, but the Golden Rams answered back with a kill from junior Rachel Robb (BLACKWOOD,N.J./PAUL VI) before being handed the set following a Cal U attack error.
- The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair with WCU securing a one-point cushion (22-21) late in the frame. Trailing by a point, the Vulcans closed out the match on a 4-0 run to seal the crossover victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Golden Rams' .093 (45-30-161) hitting percentage against the Vulcans was the lowest for WCU in its last four matches and the total marked just the fourth time this season that West Chester hit under .100 against an opponent. Conversely, Cal U tallied a .229 (55-19-157) hitting percentage on Friday which is the third match in a row that a WCU opponent has hit in the .200's and just the sixth time overall this year.
- Jillian Grammer (CENTER VALLEY, PA./SOUTHERN LEHIGH) led the squad on Friday with 42 assists to go along with 12 digs to give the senior her 17th double-double of the season. Grammer's 42 assists against Cal U marked the 11th time this year that the setter has handed out 40-plus helpers in a contest.
- After putting up 13 kills last night against Seton Hill, Robb's 10 kills led the team for the second straight match. Junior Julia Vreeswyk (YARDLEY, PA/PENNSBURY) tallied nine kills in the losing effort, while freshman Sarah Polacek (JOHNSTOWN, PA/WESTMONT HILLTOP) notched a career-high eight kills versus the Vulcans.
- Graduate student Nicki Yates' (COOPERSBURG, PA./SOUTHERN LEHIGH) 23 digs marked the 12th time this year that the libero has logged at least 20 scoops in a match.
- WCU's current five-match losing streak is its longest since the 2013 campaign.
UP NEXT
- West Chester will look to right the ship on Friday, October 26, at home against IUP. Friday's match kicks off a season-ending stretch where the Golden Rams will play inside the Hollinger Field House in five of their final six regular season matches.
