Lualis Alvarado finished with a match-high 15 kills, four block assists, and 14 digs, but Pitt-Johnstown wasn't able to claw back from a two set deficit and suffered a four-set PSAC West loss at Clarion in Saturday's season finale in Clarion. The Mountain ended the year at 12-13 overall and 5-11 in the PSAC West.
The Golden Eagles took the first two sets 25-15 and 25-22. Pitt-Johnstown got a 25-19 win in the third set, but Clarion closed out the match with a 25-19 victory.
Clarion took advantage of three straight Pitt-Johnstown errors to climb out to a 14-8 first set lead. The Mountain Cats got kills from Alvarado and
Cassie Pascarella to cut it to 16-13, but the Golden Eagles outscore Pitt-Johnstown, 9-2, the rest of the way to take the set, 25-15, on Cassidy Snider's kill.
After
Elizah Wilson's kill and a Clarion attack error gave the Mountain Cats a four point second-set advantage, the Golden Eagles responded with a 9-1 run, capped Aubrey Wrona's kill, to go on top, 15-11.
Grace Miller and
Lauren Gechter's block, followed by Pascarella's kill cut the deficit to 17-15, and a block by
Katelyn Courtney and Alvarado knotted it at 22. However, Clarion scored the final three points to take a 2-sets-to-none lead with a 25-22 victory and consecutive blocks from Alyson Peters.
In close third set, a Gechter kill and another kill by Pascarella gave the Mountain Cats a 17-14 lead. Pitt-Johnstown trailed again. Courtney's kill increased it to 22-17, and a kill from Alvarado gave the Mountain Cats a 25-19 win and sent the match to a fourth set.
A pair of service aces from
Adiamar Beaz and one from Alvarado helped Pitt-Johnstown jump out to a 6-2 lead. The Golden Eagles answered with a, 11-3 run to take a 13-9 lead. Clarion held that lead and closed out the match with a 25-18 win.
Along with Alvarado, Pitt-Johnstown got eight kills and eight digs from Miller, eight kills and two blocks from Gechter, and seven kills and six blocks from Courtney. Pacarella added five kills and six digs.
Beaz paced the Mountain Cats with 33 set assists, four aces, and 13 digs, and Carmody led the way with 17 digs.
Clarion, which improved to 19-9 overall and 11-5 in the PSAC West, was led by Snider's 13 kills and 13 digs, while Julia Piccolino and Lauren Achinger each had 11 kills.
