Video highlights to come.

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University volleyball team honored its six seniors before Saturday's regular season home finale and responded with a convincing sweep of California (Pa.), the No. 5 team in the Atlantic Region rankings, by scores of 25-20, 27-25 and 25-16 from Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (24-5, 11-4 PSAC) was playing to affirm its standing not only in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoff picture but also in the NCAA Atlantic Region. The Raiders are ranked No. 6 in the region and looking to solidify their place as one of the region's eight squads that will qualify for the postseason.
 
All six of SU's seniors had an impact in Saturday's match, but the offensive standout was certainly senior Annie Goerl – who led the Raiders with 14 kills on just one attack error. Goerl hit .302 for the match and had 14 digs, resulting in her seventh double-double of the year. She also moved up into seventh on SU's all-time kills list (972).
 
Senior Maura Nolan had 32 assists and directed the offense to the tune of an impressive .217 team hitting percentage. Nolan provided three timely kills without an error, totaled 17 digs, had three block assists and served two aces.
 
Senior Rebecca Pryor came off the bench Saturday and delivered her best match of the season in an outstanding performance for the Raiders. Pryor entered Saturday with just 10 kills on the year but slammed a season-high seven – including the final points in both the second and third set – and had just one error, hitting .375.
 
Defensively, senior Maria Peluso had a team-high 22 digs to complement five assists and two service aces. Senior Cristen Harris and Brittany Whitacre played in the third set, with Harris recording four digs.
 
Freshman Samantha Webber was excellent in the middle, hitting nine kills on a .227 percentage, and having a hand in four blocks. Sophomore Morgan DeFloria also had nine kills.
 
California (18-8, 10-5) had strong starts in each of the first two sets, but the Raiders ultimately withstood their advances in each frame. The second set was the best of the match, as the two teams played to 16 tie scores and exchanged leads six times. Cal staved off two set points in the second before kills by Nolan and Pryor gave SU a decisive 2-0 lead.
 
The Vulcans unraveled in the third set, swinging 11 of their 17 attack errors in the final frame. Cal had hit .238 in the match to that point. SU hit .182 or better each of the three sets.
 
With one week remaining in the regular season, Shippensburg sits two games behind Pitt-Johnstown for first place in the Central Division. The two teams will conclude the regular season against each other next Saturday. The new PSAC Tournament qualifying procedures provide spots to each of the four division winners and the next four best records as "at-large" bids.
 
Shippensburg is currently the top "at-large" team, but it currently holds the No. 4 seed in the PSAC as the tournament will be seeded based on overall conference record (division winners are not guaranteed a Top 4 seed – simply a spot in the tournament). If there are schools with tied PSAC records at season's end, a points system (based on quality wins and losses) will determine the seeds.
 
The Raiders begin their three-match road excursion next week at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Millersville.