Jaden Gray began her collegiate career with a match-high 16 kills, but Bellarmine (KY) University got off to quick starts in all three sets and dealt the Pitt-Johnstown women's volleyball team a 25-20, 25-22, 25-20 season-opening loss in Friday's opening round of the Clarion University Tony Banner Memorial Tournament.
 
Bellarmine raced out to a 12-3 lead on a Bailey Roszman kill and a Mountain Cat service error, but Pitt-Johnstown came right back with an 11-3 run of its own to cut the deficit to one.  Tatiana Pitcher's service ace, followed by Gray's kill, capped seven straight points and narrowed it to two, before J.C. Longeville's ace made it 15-14.  That was as close out it would get.  The Knights extended it back out to four on an Izzie Salameh kill, and two straight kills from Jayme Scott gave Bellarmine the 25-20 win.
 
The Knights started fast in the second set and built a 5-0 lead, but the Mountain Cats responded.  Pitt-Johnstown knotted it nine on Caitlin Vrabel's ace, then took its first lead of the match at 11-10 on Gray's kill.  After Lauren Gechter's kill increased the Pitt-Johnstown lead to 15-12, Bellarmine clawed back to regain the lead 17-16 and never trailed again on its way to taking a 2-sets-to-none lead with a 25-22 victory.
 
Just like the first two sets, Bellarmine got off to a quick start and opened-up a 6-1 lead on another kill from Roszman.  Again, Pitt-Johnstown countered and pulled to one at 14-13 on Grace Miller's kill.  However, the Mountain Cats could not get over the hump and the Knights went on to the three-set sweep with a 25-20 win.
 
Gray paced Pitt-Johnstown with 16 kills and two blocks, while Vrabel had nine kills, and Pitcher tallied five kills and seven digs.
 
Longeville finished with a team-high 31 set assists, and Gabi DeRenzo and Erin Carmody had 14 and 11 digs, respectively for the Mountain Cats.
 
Bellarmine was led by Scott, who tied Gray for match-high in kills with 16.  The Knights also got nine kills from Roszman and seven kills from Salameh.