Lauren Gechter and Grace Miller combined for 28 kills, but California (PA) battled back for a five-set PSAC Western Division victory over the Pitt-Johnstown volleyball team in Friday night's Homecoming Weekend opener.  Pitt-Johnstown has lost three straight matches and slipped to 9-4 overall and 2-3 in the PSAC West.
 
Cal U won the first set, 25-17, but Mountain Cats answered with 25-19 and 25-19 wins.  The Vulcans then responded to take the final two sets, 25-20, and 15-9.
 
After Miller's kill gave Pitt-Johnstown a 14-12 lead midway through the first set, Cal U answered with a 13-3 run to secure a n eight-point win.  Chelsea Howard's kill, followed by a Mountain Cat attack error capped a 7-0 run that put the Vulcan in front 19-14, before a pair of Pitt-Johnstown errors gave Cal U a 25-17 win.
 
In the second set, The Mountain Cat got off to a quick start.  Cassie Pascarella and Gechter combined for five kills to give Pitt-Johnstown a 10-2 lead, and Katelyn Courtney's kill make it a nine-point advantage at 14-5.  The Mountain Cats led by at least six the rest of the way on their way to the 25-16 win on another kill from Miller.
 
Kills from Gechter and Miller helped Pitt-Johnstown climb out to a four-point third set lead, before an Adiamar Beaz service ace and a kill from Gechter pushed it out to 15-9.  The Vulcans cut it to 22-18 on Rachel Simon's kill, but the Mountain Cats scored three of the final four points, including Gechter's nineth kill of the night, to take a 2-sets-to-1 advantage with a 25-19 win.
 
Neither team was able to establish control in the fourth set until Kiandria Cowart's kill gave Cal U an 18-15 lead.  Pitt-Johnstown narrowed it to one, but the Vulcans never surrendered the lead and closed the 25-20 win with a 7-3 run to force a fifth set.
 
In the deciding set, Cal U doubled-up the Mountain Cats in the early going, before Pitt-Johnstown cut it to one at 7-6 on Courtney's kill.  However, Howard and Kaylin Burkey combined for a block that put the Vulcans on top 12-8 and Cal U went on to close out the match with a 15-9 victory.
 
Gechter finished with match-high 15 kills and two blocks, and Miller added 13 kills and 11 digs to pace Pitt-Johnstown.  Pascarella had seven kills, Courtney added six kills, and Elizah Wilson and Beaz each had five kills.
 
Beaz also had a match-high 44 set assists and 17 digs, while Erin Carmody had a match-high 31 digs and Lexi Pendergraft chipped-in a dozen digs for the Mountain Cats.
 
Howard's 13 kills and Sarah Moehring's and kills and 16 digs held the Vulcans improve to 8-6 overall and 3-2 in the PSAC West.
 
Pitt-Johnstown will host a Homecoming Weekend PSAC match against Seton Hill on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Sports Center, before visiting Shippensburg for a non-conference match on Tuesday.