Noelle Carota collected a match-high 16 kills, and
Caitlin Vrabel added 12 kills as the Pitt-Johnstown volleyball team closed out its 2019 home schedule with a 3-set-to-1 PSAC victory of IUP, Tuesday night in the Sports Center. The Mountain Cats improved to 15-12 overall and 7-10 in the PSAC Southwest division.
After dropping the opening set 25-23, Pitt-Johnstown responded with 25-18, 25-20, and 25-22 wins to wrap up the match.
Pitt-Johnstown climbed out to an 11-7 lead midway through the opening set on three straight IUP attack errors. The Crimson Hawks battled back to retake the lead 18-17 on Gia Cannavino's kill, before extending it to 24-21. The Mountain Cats got a kill from
Lauren Gechter and another IUP attack error to pull to within one, but Jasmine Raudys' kill closed out the Crimson Hawks' 25-23 win.
IUP got off to a quick start in the second set and opened-up a 7-2 lead, before Pitt-Johnstown countered with a 7-1 run, capped by
J.C. Longeville and Vrabel kills, to go in front 9-8. It stayed close until the Mountain Cats broke a 17-all tie with an 8-1 spurt to even the match with a 25-18 win on Longeville's service ace and an IUP attack error.

The Mountain Cats erased a 14-9 deficit with six straight points to regain the lead by one in the fourth set. Pitt-Johnstown scored six of the final seven points, including kills from
Anna Johns and
Tatiana Pitcher, to help the Mountain Cats secure a 25-20 win.
Carota's ace helped Pitt-Johnstown jumped out to a 13-9 fourth set advantage. IUP clawed back to tie it at 15 on Liv Burns' kill and regained the lead at 18-17 on a Caroline Walsh kill. However, the Mountain Cats finished strong again and closed out the match with a 25-22 on Johns' and Pitcher's block.
Carota finished with 16 kills, seven kills, and a pair of aces, while Vrabel had 12 kills to lead Pitt-Johnstown. Johns collected eight kills and three blocks, Pitcher had seven kills and two blocks, and Gechter tallied five kills and a block.
Longeville's match-high 43 set assists and 11 digs paced the Mountain Cats. Pitt-Johnstown also got a match-high 37 digs and two aces from
Erin Carmody and 18 digs from
Gabi DeRenzo.
IUP, which fell to 6-20 overall and 5-12 in the PSAC Southwest, was led by Cannavino's 13 kill and 12 digs and Jessica Ignace's 12 kills and five blocks.
Pitt-Johnstown will close out the 2019 season with PSAC matches at Seton Hill on Friday and California (PA) on Saturday.