
Pitt-Johnstown responded in the face of adversity throughout a resilient 25-19, 25-22, 25-20 victory over Cal (PA) on Friday evening at the Convocation Center.
Freshman Brooke Pelloni had the hot hand, racking up a season-high 13 kills as the Mountain Cats improved to 19-9 overall (9-6 PSAC) and swept the season series with the Vulcans. More importantly, the win assured them of the No. 4 spot in the West and a berth in the PSAC Tournament that opens on Tuesday.
Lualis Alvarado had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Mallory Pinske recorded eight kills and a match-high three aces, while Natalie Lippincott added seven kills. Adiamar Beaz provided 38 assists and eight digs, and Gabi DeRenzo racked up a game-high 16 digs.
After going down 12-7 in the opening set, the Mountain Cats stormed back with an 11-3 rally that was sparked by three kills from Alvarado and finished off with a service ace from Pinske.
They pushed the lead to 20-16 on an ace from Beaz, and despite the Vulcans cutting it to 21-19, four straight points that included a pair of aces from DeRenzo sealed the set.
The Mountain Cats held a slim lead in the early going of the second set and went up 16-12 on an ace from Beaz. But the Vulcans responded with a 9-2 run aided by three kills from Allie Droneberger to take a 21-18 lead.
A necessary timeout helped turn the frame around. Pinske detonated on a ball to spark a 5-0 run that was capped with a kill from Pelloni to go up 23-21. Another kill from Pelloni was immediately followed by a perfectly-placed ace from Jessica Krug to lock up the set and put the Mountain Cats firmly in control.
The third set was knotted up seven times before Pelloni broke up a 19-all tie with a kill to put the Mountain Cats in front for good. Alvarado terminated a ball to make it 23-20 before back-to-back clutch aces from Pinske brought an end to the match.
Elisa Rugiero collected a team-high nine kills for the Vulcans, who slipped to 7-15 overall (2-13 PSAC).
Pitt-Johnstown wraps up the regular season with a visit to Slippery Rock set for Saturday at 2 p.m.