EAST STROUDSBURG –  Senior Sam Dunphy and senior Sarah Smith combined for 21 of East Stroudsburg University's 31 kills on Friday night as the Warriors opened ESU Homecoming 2019 with a 3-0 sweep against Cal U inside Koehler Fieldhouse.
 
ESU (17-4, 8-1 PSAC) recorded its third-straight sweep as the Warriors stretched their winning streak to five matches. The Warriors defeated the Vulcans by scores of 25-16, 25-11, 25-22 and recorded their first victory against Cal U since 1983. Cal U had previously won 19 consecutive matches against ESU dating back to 1995.
 
Dunphy recorded a double-double for the Warriors, finishing with 10 kills and 10 digs. Smith tallied a match-high 11 kills and just missed a double-double for the Warriors with nine digs. Sophomore Caylinn Davis added five kills for ESU, while sophomore Emily Meredith recorded a team-high 13 digs. Freshman Rachel Cain notched 24 assists and six digs in the contest.
 
The Warriors would lead from start to finish in the opening set against the Vulcan as ESU raced out to a 5-0 lead following a pair of kills from Dunphy and one from Smith. The rally forced the Vulcan to call an early timeout. ESU stretched the lead to 8-1 off a kill from Davis.
 
ESU would counter a 3-0 run by the Vulcans with a 4-0 rally of its own to increase the lead to 22-12. Davis sparked the run by the Warriors with a pair of kills as the Vulcans used their second timeout to try and stop the early momentum by the Warriors. ESU took a 1-0 lead in the match as a service error followed by an attack error from the Vulcans secured the 25-16 victory.
 
A 6-2 advantage early in the second set gave ESU added momentum as the Warriors looked to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Leading 8-4, the Warriors used a 6-0 run to increase the lead to 13-4 as freshman Jessica Irwin highlighted the rally with an ace for ESU. The lead would stretch to 18-6 in the set following a kill by Smith off a set by Cain. The Warriors closed the set with a 4-0 rally to secure the 25-11 victory and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Vulcans showed some fight in the third set after falling behind 6-1 and using an early timeout. Cal U would eventually rally to trim the deficit to 10-8 in the set following a 4-0 run. ESU countered with a 3-0 run later in the set as the Warriors increased their lead to 18-13.

Trailing 20-17, Cal U used a 4-0 run to knot the score and eventually take a one-point lead before ESU called its first timeout of the match. The teams would trade points out of the break before the Vulcans gained a 22-21 advantage. A kill by Cain would ignite the Warriors spirit late in the set as ESU tallied the next three points to record the 25-22 victory and the 3-0 sweep against the Vulcans.
 
ESU hosts Seton Hill on Saturday at 4 p.m. inside Koehler Fieldhouse for the third of six consecutive home matches for the Warriors. This is the first time that ESU has recorded three-straight 3-0 victories since opening the 2018 season with five.