ERIE, Pa.  -- Mercyhurst dropped a straight-set decision to California Saturday night, eliminating the Lakers from the securing a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference postseason tournament.

The Vulcans took set one by a 25-18 count before adding a victory in set two by a 25-19 margin.  The Lakers put a scare into California in the third set, rallying to tie the match at 24 before falling 27-25.

With the win, the Vulcans complete the regular season with a 30-5 overall record and undefeated in PSAC play at 19-0.  The loss drops the Lakers to 20-12 overall, 11-8 in the PSAC.

With a strong in-region record, Mercyhurst has a shot at making the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament despite not qualifying for the conference tournament, which features many of the region's top teams.  Fans can log onto NCAA.com on Sunday, Nov. 15 for the volleyball selection show and the official announcement of teams selected to the NCAA Tournament.

Becky Leusch paced the Lakers with eight kills while Gretta Freyermuth continued her hot hand, adding six kills.  Julia Butler contributed 23 assists while also adding 13 digs, one shy of the team-high set by Elyse Texido.  Butler completed her all-around performance in her last home game as a Laker with a shared team-high four blocks, along with Erin English.

Joanna Nist led the Vulcans with 18 kills while Renata da Silva added 41 assists.  Defensively, Julie Paronish recorded 14 digs and Ludmila Amaral added five blocks.