California - 2009 PSAC Volleyball champions
California Captures Third Straight PSAC Volleyball Championship
Tournament Page
Story Courtesy of California Sports Information
Lock Haven, Pa. – The California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team earned its third-straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship and captured the league's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championship Tournament after sweeping Lock Haven, 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-19), on Saturday.
The Vulcans improve to 33-5 this season and will now likely host the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament next week after entering the PSAC Tournament as the top seed in the region. Meanwhile, the Bald Eagles had their 24-match win streak and fall to 30-5 this year.
Senior Renata Silva was named the PSAC Tournament MVP.
Senior setter Renata da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Ateneu) was named the PSAC Tournament MVP for a consecutive season. In three tournament matches, she averaged 11.8 assists per set after posting 39 assists against the Bald Eagles in the PSAC Championship.
Classmate Joanna Nist (Rockwood, Pa./Rockwood) led the offensive attack with 14 kills, while middle hitters Bridget Bielich (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and Ludmila Amaral (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Afonso Schimidt) finished with 12 and eight kills, respectively. Amaral also registered four blocks against Lock Haven.
Defensively, junior libero Julie Paronish (Hastings, Pa./Northern Cambria) posted 10 digs with Nist and senior Ashley Moore (Yorktown, Va./Grafton) each collecting eight digs in the sweep. Sophomore Sara McMullen (State College, Pa./State College) finished with four digs and three service aces.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LHU-Clarion Box
Cal-Ship Box
Host Lock Haven, the No. 1 seed out of the PSAC East, and California, the No. 1 seed out of the PSAC West, each earned 3-0 victories on Friday on the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament, earning a trip to the championship match on Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. A live video webcast of Saturday's championship match can be seen by clicking on the link above.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lock Haven, the PSAC East volleyball champions, will host the 2009 PSAC Volleyball Tournament semifinals and championship this weekend at Thomas Fieldhouse. The semifinals will be contested on Friday night while the championship match is slated for 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
California is the two-time defending tournament champions and the Vulcans have also won three of the last four PSAC championships. Cal and Lock Haven have combined to win the last six PSAC titles, with IUP being the last PSAC champion other than Cal or Lock Haven in 2002.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lock Haven, Pa. - The pairings for next week's PSAC volleyball tournament have been set. The top four teams in each divison qualify for the PSAC Tournament. Quarterfinals matches will be played next Tuesday, November 10. The semifinals and championship match will be contested at the home of the highest remaining seed out of the PSAC East after Tuesday's quarterfinals. The two semifinal matches will be played on Friday, November 13, with the championship match set for Saturday, November 14.
Listed below are Tuesday's quarterfinal matchups. All will be played on campus sites at the home of the higher seed.
Tuesday, November 10 (at higher seed)
Lock Haven 3, West Chester 0
Shippensburg 3, Kutztown 1
California 3, Gannon 1
Clarion 3, Edinboro 1