Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst volleyball team beat California (Pa.) in five games Friday night. The Lakers won by scores of 25-21, 25-21, 12-25, 17-25, and 15-12 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division match at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
 
The decisive fifth game came to a thrilling end. Cal went ahead 4-1 early, but Kelly Vitt led a Laker rally, recording an ace and then setting up Sarah Vick for a kill to give the hosts a 6-5 edge. Becky Smith and Amanda Balasko followed with kills and then two Vulcan errors made it 10-6 Lakers. Another Balasko kill gave her team a five-point lead.
 
Mercyhurst eventually took a 14-7 advantage before the Vulcans made a final push to continue the match. Kelly Fromknecht had two kills to lead Cal to five consecutive points. A Vulcan attack error finally gave the Lakers a dramatic 15-12 victory.
 
The first set was even at 12 when Elyse Texido led a Laker run to take a 17-12 lead. Texido posted an ace in the stretch. Mercyhurst held a comfortable margin until a Fromknecht ace made it 20-19 Lakers. Balasko responded with two straight kills. Cal answered with consecutive points before Becky Leusch finished a Kiera Rebert pass for a 23-21 edge. Two Vulcan attack errors gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The second frame followed a similar pattern to the first. The teams were tied at 12 and then the Lakers took a small lead midway through. A Camille Alvarez kill gave Mercyhurst a 19-15 advantage. Kills by Sarah Vick and Balasko made it 21-17 before Cal came back with two straight points. Another Balasko point put the Vulcans on the brink and Leusch finished the game with a kill from Rebert.
 
The visitors found success in the third set, going up early and continuing to pressure the Lakers. Molly Delaney served the final four points as Cal won by 13.
 
In the fourth frame, the teams were even early, but the Vulcans took another lead as Delaney led a rally highlighted by an ace. Bridget Bielich tied the match with a kill on game point, setting up the imperative fifth set.
 
Balasko paced a balanced Laker attack with 12 kills. She also had 10 digs. Alvarez and Vick each had eight kills, while Leusch had seven. Vitt dished out 23 assists and Rebert had 19 of her own. Texido handled 28 digs and tallied three aces. Alvarez totaled 18 digs, while Vitt and Nicole Texido combined for 21 more. Fromknecht led Cal with 17 kills and 23 digs.
 
The Lakers improved to 19-6 overall and 7-5 in the PSAC. The Vulcans dropped to 21-5 and 10-3 in league action. The win marked the first for Mercyhurst over Cal since the 2002 season.
 
Mercyhurst hosts IUP in another conference contest tomorrow. First serve is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at the MAC.