Head Coach Justin Haupt's Pitt-Johnstown volleyball team earned the No. 5 seed for the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament when this year's field was released on Nov. 20. The Mountain Cats will take on fourth-seeded Indiana (PA) in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Highmark Events Center in Erie. This year's tournament will take place Thursday through Saturday and will be hosted in Erie by top-seeded Gannon University.
The winner of the Pitt-Johnstown-Indiana (PA) match will take on the winner of the No. 1 Gannon-No. 8 West Liberty match in the Atlantic Region Semifinals on Friday evening.
The Regional Quarterfinal matches are scheduled for Thursday at 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, and 7:30 p.m. The semifinals are on Friday at 5:00 and 7:30 p.m., and the Atlantic Regional Championship Match is on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Atlantic Region - QUARTERFINALS
Hosted by Gannon University – Nov. 30-Dec. 2
No. 1 Gannon University (26-4) vs. No. 8 West Liberty (WV) University (23-9) 5:00 PM
No. 4 Indiana (PA) (21-10) vs. No. 5 Pitt-Johnstown (19-11) 7:30 PM
No. 2 Wheeling (WV) University (25-7) vs. No. 7 Shaw (NC) University (30-5) 2:30 PM
No. 3 Clarion University (25-6) vs. No. 6 West Virginia State University (26-5) 12:00 PM
TICKET INFORMATION
Purchases may be cash or credit (There is a small processing fee for credit card purchases.)
Admission for each day of the tournament play will be as follows:
Adults: $10
Students with I.D./Senior Citizens: $5
Children, ages 2-12: $5
Children under the age of 2 shall be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult
Eight eight-team regionals will be played at on-campus sites. Regional competition will be single-elimination, best three-of-five-set matches and will not include a third-place match. The winners of each of the eight regionals will advance to the NCAA finals, Dec. 7-9, at the UPMC Center in Moon Township, Pa. Competition at the finals site will be single-elimination, best three-of-five-set matches.
Pitt Johnstown will be competing in its fifth NCAA Division II Regional Tournament and the first since 2017.
Pitt-Johnstown was 19-11 overall and finished fourth in the PSAC Western Division at 9-7. The Mountain Cats took on PSAC West Top-seeded Gannon in the conference quarterfinals and suffered a three-set loss.
Haupt, the PSAC West Coch of the Year, and the Mountain Cats were led by three all-conference selections in First-Team All-PSAC West outside hitter
Lualis Alvarado, and second-team selections in middle hitter
Mallory Pinske and setter
Adiamar Beaz.
Alvarado's 340 kills and 3.33 kills per set led the way for Pitt-Johnstown, while Pinske (234 kills, 2.29 kills per set),
Natalie Lippincott (228 kills, 2.26 kills per set), and
Brooke Pelloni (208 kills, 2.06 kills per set) all averaged over a pair of kills per set. Beaz paces the PSAC and ranks sixth nationally in aces per set (.61) and 10
th in total aces (62). She is also second in the conference and 33
rd nationally in assists per set (10.26) and third in the PSAC and 42
nd in the country in total assists (1026). In addition, defensive specialist
Gabi DeRenzo leads the conference and ranks second in NCAA Division II in digs per set (6.15) and is fourth in total digs (627).
Indiana (PA), under second-year Head Coach Lorelle Hoyer, enters the NCAA Regional Tournament at 21-10. The Crimson Hawks finished third in the PSAC West at 11-5 before falling in straight sets to Clarion I the conference tournament quarterfinals.
The Crimson Hawks are led by PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year Lauren Valentic and First-Team All-PSAC West selection Nyla Birch. Birch's 310 total kills and 2.65 kills per set leads four IUP players averaging more than two kills per set, while Valentic's 159 blocks and 1.38 blocks per set paces the team. Valentic is also averaging 1.45 kills per set.
Pitt-Johnstown and Indiana (PA) met twice during the 2023 regular season and the Crimson Hawks earned a pair of victories over the Mountain Cats. On Sept. 30, Alvarado collected a match-high 17 kills and Lippincott added a dozen kills, but IUP secured a five-set victory in Indiana. Birch had 16 kills for IUP. The Crimson Hawks then swept Pitt-Johnstown in the Sports Center on Oct. 28 behind Grace Mangapora's 12 kills. Alvarado led the way for the Mountain Cats with nine kills.
