Mar 4, 2016 By Adam Brewer for The 3 min read

CALIFORNIA — The California University of Pa. women’s basketball squad has had a lot of battles off the court this season, from players leaving the team early on to injuries that cut down the roster to nine players and to all the pressures of being the defending NCAA Division II national champions.

But with that all being said, the Vulcans are right where they need to be as they enter this weekend’s PSAC semifinals.

After escaping with a 75-67 quarterfinal victory over Edinboro Tuesday night, Cal (22-5) will look to continue its run at tying the conference record for most championships at six when it faces Shippensburg (21-6) in a semifinal showdown on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

“It’s been stressful this season,” Cal coach Jess Strom said. “We have faced some adversity and the kids never gave up. It takes a while for our newcomers to learn our defense. We had only one returning starter coming back and it just took time for us to jell. We are clicking right now and we are playing with energy.”

Both semifinals and finals will be played at Hamer Hall this weekend, as there is a convention being held at the Convocation Center. Since 2011-12, Cal is 9-1 at Hamer Hall and 5-0 in the postseason at its old gym.

Indiana of Pa. (20-7) and West Chester (21-6) will square off in the other semifinal Saturday at 1 p.m.

The PSAC Western Division champion Vulcans come into their semifinal contest with an 11-game winning streak and have won 14 of their last 16 games.

Like in years past, Cal is anchored by a stout defense with plenty of athletes on the floor.

The Vulcans have limited teams to 62.3 points per game, second lowest in the PSAC, and average around 10.2 steals and 19.7 forced turnovers per contest.

Offensively, Cal is led by a variety of players that can take over the game on a given night.

Miki Glenn won the PSAC West Athlete of the Year award and was named to the PSAC West First Team earlier in the week and has been the spark plug for Cal.

The 5-foot-7 guard averages about 39.4 minutes, 18.9 points, 6.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. She also shoots a team-high 90 percent from the free throw line.

“This has been a crazy year in the PSAC,” Glenn said. “Every night there has been a couple of upsets and anybody can beat anybody in this conference. We have grown as a team and we are ready for the challenge. This is going to be a great tournament to watch and play in.”

Seairra Barrett claimed PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year recognition and was named to the West’s second team. Barrett carries a 14.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game average, and has collected 13 double-doubles this year.

Strom also won her second consecutive PSAC West Coach of the Year this week.