Head Coach Justin Haupt and the Western Division No. 4 seeded Pitt-Johnstown women's volleyball team will visit Western Division top-seeded Gannon University in Tuesday's first round of the 2023 PSAC Women's Volleyball Championships.  Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
   
Pitt-Johnstown, ranked fifth in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Rankings, enters the tournament at 19-10 overall and finished its PSAC schedule at 9-7.  The Mountain Cats split their final two regular season matches.  On Friday, Pitt-Johnstown got a match-high 13 kills from Brooke Pelloni and a dozen kills from Lualis Alvarado in a 3-0 sweep at California (PA), before suffering a four-set loss in Saturday's regular season finale at Slippery Rock.  Alvarado added a match-high 14 kills, Natalie Lippincott had 12 kills, and Pelloni tallied 10 kills.
 
The Mountain Cats are led by Alvarado's 3.38 kills per set.  Pitt-Johnstown is also getting 2.29 kills per set from Mallory Pinske, 2.23 kills per set from Lippincott, and 2.09 kills per set from Pelloni.
 
Gannon, 23-4 overall and 14-2 in the PSAC Western Division, suffered a five-set loss to Edinboro on Wednesday, before wrapping up the regular season by sweeping Mercyhurst on Saturday.  Haley Koch finished with a match-high 14 kills, and Journey Blevins chipped-in 12 kills in the win over the Lakers.
 
Blevins (4.36 kills per set), Madde Blake (2.94 kills per set), and Koch (2.73 kills per set) lead the Golden Knights.
 
Pitt-Johnstown and Gannon met twice during the regular season and the Golden Knights won both match-ups.  Gannon swept the Mountain Cats in Erie on Oct. 7, before completing the season sweep with a 3-0 victory in the Sports Center on Nov. 3.
 
The winner will advance to take on the winner of the East No. 2-seed East Stroudsburg-East No. 3-seed Shepherd (WV) in Friday's Semifinals.  The 2023 PSAC Championship Match will be played on Saturday at a site to be determined.  Highest remaining seed in the Eastern Division will host the Semifinals and Finals.