EDINBORO, Pa. — Edinboro lost to California (PA) 3-2 on Saturday at McComb Fieldhouse. The Fighting Scots won the first two sets 25-18 and 28-26 before dropping the final three 23-25, 20-25 and 11-15.
The Vulcans opened the set with a Madelyn Salisbury kill, but the Scots answered with a
Reilly Parent kill and Parent service ace. After an Alayna Jones kill tied the early exchange,
Makayla Neelands started a seven-point Fighting Scots run. The run continued through six straight service points by
Faith Schneider, with
Maggie Koster, Neelands and
D'Aira Whitner producing kills and Koster and Neelands combining on a block. Cal later put together two four-point stretches, the first capped by an Abby Tucker ace and Lindsey Scammell kill. The second behind Molly Smiddy's serve, but
Taylor Pucky kills ended both runs. Parent added a late kill and ace, and after Tucker's kill gave the Vulcans their final point, Neelands and Koster finished consecutive kills for a 25-18 Scots set win.
After Cal picked up an early block point, Parent answered with a kill from
Grace Petro and the Fighting Scots used kills by
Christina Lockett and Whitner to steady the set. Schneider later served four straight points for the Scots, a stretch that included two Whitner kills and blocks involving Whitner, Koster and Neelands. The Scots added another run with consecutive Lockett kills, a Lockett block and a Parent ace. The Vulcans worked back late, including a six-point stretch, before Pucky, Lockett, Parent, Neelands and Schneider all scored in the closing sequence, with Schneider's ace finishing the Scots' 28-26 set win.
The Vulcans built an early 7-5 edge in the third set with help from Fighting Scots attack errors and kills by Olivia Weiseman and Alayna Jones, while Parent, Neelands and Pucky supplied kills to keep the Scots close. The Scots answered with three straight points, including a Lockett and
D'Aira Whitner block, to go ahead 8-7. Then used two Octavia Dixon attack errors around a Lockett kill to move in front 11-9. The teams continued to trade points through the middle of the set, with Whitner adding kills and Parent serving an ace that gave the Scots a 20-18 lead before Cal pulled even at 20-20. After the set was tied at 22-22, Elise Olenick served an ace and Lexi Muck followed with a kill to put the Vulcans at set point, and after Olenick's service error brought the Scots within 24-23, a Fighting Scots attack error ended the set at 25-23 for Cal.
After the Vulcans scored the first point of the fourth set, the Scots answered with four straight points on a Parent kill from Petro, a Neelands kill, an Olivia Weiseman attack error and Parent's service ace. The Scots later strung together kills by Parent, Lockett and Parent, but Cal responded with five consecutive points, getting kills from Lexi Muck, Alayna Jones and Abby Tucker during the run. The visitors added another three-point stretch with Jones and Weiseman contributing kills, while the Scots countered with a Pucky service turn that produced a Koster kill. This also produced Koster-Neelands block and later back-to-back kills from Koster and Parent. The Vulcans closed the set with kills by Elise Olenick and Lindsey Scammell, two Scammell blocks on Petro attacks and a Tori Newton ace around Petro's kill to take the set 25-20.
Parent put away two kills from Petro, and Neelands added another as the Scots claimed three of the first four points in the fifth set. The Vulcans answered with points from Alayna Jones, Olivia Weiseman and Abby Tucker, and their middle push included an Elise Olenick kill, a Lexi Muck block and a Muck kill. Neelands,
D'Aira Whitner, Petro and the Pucky-Lockett block supplied the Scots' late points. Cal countered with Jones and Weiseman kills and a Tucker-Muck block before Weiseman closed the set 15-11.
Neelands finished with 20 kills, 19 digs, four block assists and 22.0 points. Parent added 15 kills, 17 digs and five service aces for 21.0 points. Schneider collected 36 digs and added three assists and one ace. Petro recorded 46 assists, two aces and three digs.
Up next, the Fighting Scots visit Slippery Rock University on Friday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. in Slippery Rock, Pa.
