SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University volleyball team is hosting the PSAC Semifinals and Championship Match for the first time since 2007 and is seeking its first conference title in school history this weekend from Heiges Field House.

Shippensburg, the No. 1 seed in the PSAC Eastern Division, will host California (Pa.), the No. 2 seed in the PSAC Western Division, at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the second of two semifinal matches. At 5 p.m. Friday, UPJ (East No. 2 seed) will face Gannon (West No. 4 seed).

The winners of the respective matches will play for the conference championship at 2 p.m. Saturday. For the first time, the PSAC Volleyball Championship match will be broadcast live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). The broadcast will be handled by the students of Shippensburg University Television (SUTV) and uplinked to PCN for airing.

More information about watching the PCN telecast online (through PCN Select) is available below. Live stats of the match will also be provided by the SU Sports Information office here.

Ship in Semifinals: Shippensburg is in the PSAC Semifinals for the sixth time in head coach Leanne Piscotty's 10-year tenure. SU is seeking to snap its skid of four straight semifinal losses, as the team last played for the PSAC Championship in Piscotty's inaugural season of 2004. The 2013 season marks SU's 15th career appearance in the PSAC Semifinals.

Regional Rankings: Shippensburg improved to No. 5 in the Atlantic Region rankings released Wednesday. Its opponent on Friday, California (Pa.), is ranked No. 3 in the region. Eight teams will eventually qualify for the NCAA Tournament, with the selection show to air at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Jill Edwards Player of the Year: Senior Jill Edwards became just the second Raider in history to achieve a PSAC Player of the Year award Wednesday and the first since All-American Lisa Rice was honored in 1991. Edwards leads the PSAC with 524 kills, 67 more than any other player in the league, and a 4.26 kills per set average that ranks 12th in Division II. She is one of just two players in PSAC history with 2,000 or more career kills (2,023).

Four All-PSAC Players: In addition to Edwards, sophomore middle blockers Faith Athey and Taylor Gottshall and freshman setter Maura Nolan were named to the All-PSAC Eastern Division Second Team. Gottshall and Athey rank second (112) and third (111) respectively among PSAC players for block assists and sit sixth and seventh in the league rankings for blocks per set. Nolan ranks second in the PSAC for assists (1,242) and has posted 76 total blocks.

Piscotty Coach of the Year: Head coach Leanne Piscotty was named the PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year for the second straight season and the fourth time in her career. Piscotty has guided the Raiders to a 28-8 record that includes an 18-4 mark in PSAC regular-season play – the most victories ever attained by a Raider team in conference play. SU started the season 6-0 for the first time since its inaugural 1980 season and posted a school-record 12-match winning streak during the regular season.

Dealing Aces: Shippensburg leads the PSAC with 248 service aces – 30 more than any other conference school – in addition 1.92 aces per set. The Raiders have served up at least nine aces in its last five home matches and boast six players with 20 or more aces. Freshman Maria Peluso leads the team with 54 aces – third-most in the PSAC – while Jill Edwards ranks sixth in the PSAC with 49 aces.

On the Block: Shippensburg has been strong on the block, ranking second in the PSAC behind Seton Hill with 276 total blocks and 2.14 blocks per set. Gottshall (127) and Athey (125) have combined for 252 blocks in the middle while Nolan (76), Edwards (56) and freshman Gabbie Holt (50) have all provided 50 or more blocks this season.

Senior Moments: Jill Edwards and senior Samantha Edwards are the lone seniors on a Raider roster that also includes no juniors. Jill has appeared in 138 matches since the start of the 2010 season while Samantha has appeared in 121 – and the duo has combined for 2,441 kills and 286 blocks in that span.

Back Row Boost: Sophomore Laura Plank has emerged as SU's libero and been a stabilizing force in the back row. Plank has recorded double-digit digs in 10 matches this season, including a career-high 22 against Gannon, and posted five or more digs in 26 matches – including 18-in-a-row.

Vicious Vulcans: Shippensburg has had some classic battles with California (Pa.) in the last couple of years. The longstanding rivals met earlier this season, with the Vulcans winning in four sets (25-20, 13-25, 20-25, 15-25) on September 27. Cal also defeated SU in last year's NCAA Tournament in four sets by scores of 24-26, 27-25, 18-25, 18-25. However, SU defeated Cal in the 2012 regular season, 3-1 (25-18, 27-25, 13-25, 25-22), marking the first Raider win over the Vulcans since Sept. 27, 1996. SU had been winless against Cal from 1999-2012, a span of 13 consecutive seasons (did not play in 1997 or 1998).

Not Looking Ahead, But…: If Shippensburg is able to notch a PSAC Semifinal victory, it has recorded wins this season over each of the two teams playing in Friday's other semifinal. SU defeated Gannon for just the second time in 14 career meetings on October 18, 3-1. The Raiders have a four-match winning streak over UPJ that dates back to 2005, including two wins this season in divisional play. 

PCN Select: The PCN Mobile App is now ready and available on the App Store and Play Store. Go to pcntv.com and subscribe for $7.99 for 24 hours or $24.99 for a year. Once subscribed, clients can download the app and have access to PCN anytime.