Lualis Alvarado had a match-high 12 kills, and
Grace Miller added 11 kills to lead Pitt-Johnstown to a 25-22, 25-19, 25-13 PSAC Western Division volleyball sweep over Indiana (PA), Friday night in the Sports Center. The Mountain Cats are now 11-5 overall and 4-3 in the PSAC West.
Two
Cassie Pascarella kills helped Pitt-Johnstown jump out to a 4-0 first set lead. The Mountain Cats maintained the four-point advantage at 12-98 on one of Alvarado's seven first set kills, but IUP clawed back to knot it at 14 on a Leah Henderson kill and a Mountain Cat attack error. Pitt-Johnstown never trailed and held on for a 25-22 win on kills from Pascarella and Miller.
Lauren Gechter's kill and Alvarado's service ace put the Mountain Cat on top 7-3 to begin the second set, before the Crimson Hawks battled back to tie it at nine on back-to-back kills from Brooke Little. Pitt-Johnstown pushed the lead back out to five, but IUP scored six unanswered points to take a 16-15 lead. However,
Adiamar Beaz's ace quickly gave the lead back to the Mountain Cats and Pitt-Johnstown went on to outscore the Crimson Hawks, 8-3, three down the stretch to claim a 25-19 win on two kills from Miller and an IUP ball handling error.
Pit-Johnstown led the third set wire-to-wire on its way to the sweep with a 25-13 victory. Alvarado and
Katelyn Courtney's combined block gave the Mountain Cats an 11-8 lead and Pitt-Johnstown began to pull away. Another kill from Miller and an IUP attack error made it 17-10, and Courtney's kill closed out the match.
Alvarado added six kills and two blocks to go along with her 12 kills, and Miller had 11 kills and 11 digs to pace the Mountain Cats. Pascarella had nine kills, and Gechter had seven kills and three block assists.
Beaz finished with a match-high 38 set assists and 10 digs, and
Erin Carmody led all players with 24 digs.
Nicole Peterson and Little each had five kills for the Crimson Hawks, who fell to 11-12 overall and 2-6 in the PSAC West.
Pitt-Johnstown hosts a PSAC West match in the Sports Center against Clarion on Saturday at 1 p.m. and a conference match against Slippery Rock on Friday at 7 p.m.
