SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — After splitting the first four sets in its PSAC quarterfinal matchup, West No. 3 seed Pitt-Johnstown found a spark just in time to keep its season alive.
Ellie Zuro Cirino and Caroline Knight combined for 41 kills, and the Mountain Cats surged through a decisive fifth set to secure an entertaining 3-2 victory (25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 17-25, 15-10) over Shippensburg on Tuesday night at Heiges Field House.
Pitt-Johnstown (17-10) will meet West No. 1 seed Gannon, which swept West Chester on Tuesday, for a third time this season in the semifinals on Friday at East Stroudsburg University.
Much like she has all year, Zuro contributed a match-high 22 kills on an ultra-efficient .281 hitting percentage. She also added nine digs. Caroline Knight delivered a double-double with 19 kills and 14 digs.
Dannika Susko recorded six kills and three blocks, while Natalie Lippincott supplied six kills and two blocks. Mallory Pinske pitched in five kills, a match-high four aces and two blocks.
Abby Berry racked up a season-high 53 assists, and Jessica Krug led the way defensively with a match-high 25 digs.
Tied at 6-all in the fifth set, Knight tallied three kills during a 6-0 run that put the Mountain Cats in command.
Shippensburg answered with three straight points before Knight quieted the crowd with a kill and an ace to set up match-point. Zuro then tapped a perfectly placed kill to seal it. Altogether, Zuro and Knight kept Shippensburg at bay with a combined nine kills in the deciding set.
It appeared as if Pitt-Johnstown would wrap the match even earlier when it fought back from four points down to claim the opening set. Down 18-14, the Mountain Cats ran off four of the next five to get within 19-18.
When put in a 22-19 hole, Zuro smacked three kills, including one on set-point, during a furious 6-1 run that lifted the Mountain Cats to a 1-0 lead.
That momentum carried over to the second set when Pitt-Johnstown rolled to a 9-1 start that was aided by back-to-back aces from Pinske and a defense that forced three Shippensburg attack errors.
The Mountain Cats never trailed from that point and went on to lead by as many as 10 thanks to an ace from Avery Koontz that made it 21-11. Zuro had a kill and Pinske and Lippincott combined on a block to take a commanding 2-0 advantage.
Despite Pitt-Johnstown climbing back to within four on five separate occasions, it couldn't quite close the gap in a third set loss that cut its lead to 2-1. The Mountain Cats were down by as many as eight in the fourth set before dropping the frame by the same margin.
Hailey Cappleman had a team-high 15 kills for East No. 2 seed Shippensburg (20-9).
Pitt-Johnstown will seek redemption later this week after being swept in both of its regular-season meetings with Gannon on Oct. 4 and Oct. 31.
