CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Bloomsburg volleyball team pushed California (Pa.) in each set but fell in straight frames, 25-22, 25-20, 25-18, Friday night at California in a PSAC East/West crossover match. The Huskies slipped to 7-5 overall while the Vulcans moved to 11-2.
 
Bloomsburg came out strong in the opening set, using a service run from Emily Gustie (Crofton, Md./Crofton) that included back-to-back aces to grab a 7-3 lead. California answered with a 6-1 stretch to move in front, 9-8, but the Huskies regrouped. A block by Sophie Wales (Port Matilda, Pa./State College) tied the score at 15-15, and Gustie's kill later made it 19-19 as the set tightened down the stretch. The Vulcans closed on a 6-3 run, however, capped by a kill from Sarah Stephenson, to take the opener 25-22.
 
The second set mirrored the first as Bloomsburg once again jumped ahead early, 9-6, behind kills from Wales and Sophie Maier. California responded with a 5-0 burst to seize an 11-9 advantage, but the Huskies hung close. Gustie delivered consecutive kills to pull Bloomsburg within 19-18, and a Vulcan error kept it a one-point margin at 21-20. From there, California rattled off the final four points, using three kills in the stretch to claim a 25-20 win.
 
In the third, Bloomsburg continued to battle. A quick set from Jessica Rimbo (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) to Gustie gave the Huskies a 6-5 edge, and Hannah Au's (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) diving dig extended a rally that Wales finished with a kill to knot the score at 11-11. California countered with a 7-2 run, fueled by three kills from Lindsey Scammell, to open an 18-13 cushion. Gustie stopped the surge with a kill and her sixth ace of the night to trim the deficit to 20-16, but the Vulcans answered with five of the final seven points to finish off the match, 25-18.
 
Gustie led the Huskies with 10 kills and six aces while Wales tallied seven kills and five blocks at the net. Katie Kuehl (Aston, Pa./Archmere Academy (Del.)) had seven kills and a pair of blocks. Rimbo handed out 15 assists and Au collected nine digs to pace the defense. Erin Clark (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert) dished out 14 assists while Julia Holmes (Elkton, Md./Bohemia Manor) at eight digs for the Huskies.
 
As a team, the Huskies hit .165 with 31 total kills while the Vulcans hit .286 for the three-set match with 49 total kills. The Huskies had 10 total blocks, all assisted, and eight total aces while the Vulcans finished the day with seven aces and 11 total blocks. The Vulcans had three players with double-digit kills for the match.
 
Bloomsburg returns to the court on Saturday as the Huskies head to Seton Hill for a 1:00 p.m. match.