Lualis Alvarado posted a team-high kills and nine digs, but California (PA) dealt Pitt-Johnstown a 25-23, 25-20, 25-18 loss Friday night's 2022 PSAC West-opener in the Sports Center. The Mountain Cats, who had their four-match winning streak snapped, slipped to 6-7 overall and 0-1 in conference-play.
California (PA) got off to a fast start and scored the first six points of the match, before pushing it out to 11-3 on an Allie Droneberger kill and a bad set from the Mountain Cats. Pitt-Johnstown recovered and battled back with a 16-8 run of its own to knot it at 19 on a Alvarado service ace. The Mountain Cats then took their first lead of the night, 22-21, on a Vulcans' error, but California (PA) was able to score four of the final five points down the stretch to take the set, 25-23.
A pair of kills from Alvarado and one from
Abi Leitner gave the Mountain Cats an early three-point second set advantage, but the Vulcans followed with an 8-2 spurt to go on top, 11-8. California (PA) never gave up the lead and pushed it out to 20-12. After the Mountain Cats clawed back to narrow it to 23-20 with the help of an
Adiamar Beaz's ace, the Vulcans scored the final two points to take a two-sets-to-none lead.
California (PA) erased a three-point deficit to begin the third set and built a 16-9 lead of its own on kills from Kaylin Burkey and Ashley Barnes and an ace from Elisa Rugiero. The Mountain Cats didn't go away and cut it to three on three occasions with the last coming at 20-17 on Alvarado's kills and a Vulcans' service error, but California (PA) was able to close out the match, 25-18.
Along with Alvarado' Pitt-Johnstown got five kills from
Mallory Pinske and four kills from
Elizah Wilson.
Beaz led the way for the Mountain cats with 11 set assists and 11 digs, while
Liredys Casiano tallied eight assists. Pitt-Johnstown also got a match-high 17 digs from
Gabi DeRenzo and six digs from
Ally Diamond.
The Vulcans, who improved to 7-4 overall and evened their record at 1-1 in the PSAC West, were led by Droneberger's match-high 12 kills and nine digs and Burkey and Rugiero's six kills apiece.
Pitt-Johnstown travels to Gannon for a PSAC West match on Saturday, before hosting conference matches against Seton Hill on Sept. 23 and Slippery Rock on Sept. 24.
