• Box Score

WHEELING, W.Va. (Dec. 7) – The Vulcans were eliminated in the NCAA Tournament by No. 25 Wheeling Jesuit in the Atlantic Regional Championship for the third-straight year, dropping a 3-0 match (25-21, 25-18, 25-16) on Saturday night.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team finishes the year with a 30-9 overall record. The Vulcans have advanced to the regional championship in eight-consecutive seasons and have recorded at least 30 wins eight times in the past nine years. Meanwhile, Wheeling Jesuit captures its third-straight regional title and improves to 37-5 this year.

Senior Molly Delaney (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) and sophomore Mary Lavery (La Plata, Md./La Plata) both lead the team with eight kills and Lavery recorded a .316 hitting percentage on 19 attempts. Junior Laurel Miller (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) tallied seven kills on Saturday to finish the year with 487 kills, which ranks as the ninth-highest mark in single-season school history and is the most since 2009. Senior Abbey Freund (Cottage Grove, Wis./Monona Grove) and freshman Kristen Scurpa (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) directed the offense with 16 and nine assists, respectively, and Freund finished her career ranked sixth all-time in school history with 1,943 assists.

Sophomore Samantha Rudy (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) and Freund collected seven and six digs, respectively, to lead the defensive effort. Rudy recorded the third-most digs in single-season school history, and most since 2008, finishing with 608 digs in her first year as the libero. Sophomore Miranda Fouzie (Kingston, Ontario/Sydenham) finished with a team-best six blocks at Wheeling Jesuit and Lavery added five blocks in the loss.

Wheeling Jesuit earned a 25-21 victory in the first set despite Cal U posting an impressive .314 hitting percentage. The Cardinals won four of the opening five points and later mounted a 7-2 run to stretch their lead to 13-7. The Vulcans then won three-straight points before the teams traded the next nine points with the Cardinals taking an 18-14 lead. Following another point by Wheeling Jesuit, Cal U won three-straight points before the teams alternated back-to-back points to finish the set.

The Cardinals took a 2-0 match lead after posting a 25-18 victory in the second set after the teams combined for five ties and two lead changes. Trailing 7-6, Wheeling Jesuit seized control of the set with a 10-2 rally to take a 16-9 lead. The Vulcans worked the deficit down to 19-14 before the Cardinals countered by winning four of the next five points. Cal U later twice held off set point before a service error closed the set.

Wheeling Jesuit sealed its third-straight regional title with a 25-16 win in the third set. The Cardinals led 6-4 before posting a 5-1 run to stretch their lead to 10-5. After the teams traded the next three points, Wheeling Jesuit claimed control of the set with a 9-2 rally to expand its lead to 20-9. The Vulcans won five of the next seven points to cut the deficit to 22-14 before the teams traded the last five points of the match.

Wheeling Jesuit advances to face No. 9 Wingate from the Southeast Region in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, Dec. 12, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.