Jaden Gray and Grace Miller each had 16 kills to help Pitt-Johnstown erase a 2-sets-to-1 deficit and lead the Mountain Cats to a five-set victory over Assumption (MA) college in Sunday's second round of the Stonehill College Tournament in Easton, Mass.  Pitt-Johnstown improved to 4-2.
 
Pitt-Johnstown got off to a quick opening set start and climbed out to a 16-10 lead on kills from Anna Johns and Gray.  Assumption stormed back with a 13-7 run, capped by a Tess Haller/Ariana Orcera block, to knot it at 23, before completing the comeback and taking the 27-25 win on back-to-back kills by Mary Campbell and Haller.
 
Just like the opening set, the Mountain Cats started fast in the second set.  However, this time, Pitt-Johnstown never let the Greyhounds back in it.  A pair of Gabi DeRenzo service aces, followed by a J.C. Longeville kill, put the Mountain Cats on top, 15-3.  Pitt-Johnstown continued to increases the lead and got kills from Miller and Lauren Gechter and a service error from Assumption to take the 25-10 victory.
 
In the third set, the Greyhounds broke a 12-all tie with a 9-1 spurt to take a 21-13 lead on Orcera's kill, and went on to hold off Pitt-Johnstown, 25-22.
 
Gray and Johns' combined block and a Greyhounds' attack error helped the Mountain Cats open-up a 12-8 four set advantage.  Pitt-Johnstown pushed it out to 18-11 on Caitlin Vrabel's kill and a Molly Ayres ace and coasted to a 25-16 win to force a fifth set.
 
The final set remained close, but Pitt-Johnstown scored three straight points to go up 10-7 on Gray's kill and an Assumption error.  The Mountain Cats never gave up the lead and sealed the 15-10 match with Longville's ace.
 
Gray had 16 kills, seven digs, and two blocks, and Miller added 16 kills and five digs to pace Pitt-Johnstown.  Vrabel had 11 kills, while Johns chipped-in eight kills and a pair of blocks.
 
The Mountain Cats also got a match-high 42 set assists and 10 digs from Longeville, a match-high 24 digs and six assists from Erin Carmody, and 10 digs from DeRenzo.
 
Alana Hruska and Campbell's 11 kills each led the way for Assumption, which fell to 1-4.
 
Pitt-Johnstown travels to the Lake Erie (OH) Tournament on Saturday, before opening its home schedule with PSAC matches against Shepherd (WV) on September 27 and Shippensburg on September 28.