POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE
ERIE, Pa. — Junior Ellie Zuro Cirino smacked a match-high 17 kills on an ultra-efficient .382 hitting percentage, and No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown dismantled No. 5 Shepherd in a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-23, 25-21) in the Atlantic Region quarterfinals on Thursday night at Highmark Events Center.
With the victory, the Mountain Cats earned a berth in the regional semifinals for the second time ever and the first time since 2016. They improved to 18-11 on the year and set up a fourth meeting with Atlantic Region No. 1 seed Gannon, which beat No. 8 seed Fayetteville State 3-0.
Junior outside hitter Caroline Knight contributed 11 kills and seven digs. Senior Mallory Pinske provided six kills and a match-high six blocks, while Dannika Susko added five kills.
Abby Berry racked up a match-high 36 assists and nine digs, and Jessica Krug pitched in a match-high 11 digs.
The Mountain Cats never trailed in the opening set after Zuro Cirino secured a kill to ignite a 3-0 run that set the tone. The Mountain Cats led by seven midway through after a kill from Knight and an attack error made it 14-7. Leading 23-18, Zuro Cirino's fourth kill of the match and a combo block from Pinske and Knight sealed a 1-0 lead.
The opposite occurred in the second frame, when the Mountain Cats found themselves in a 3-0 hole. It didn't take long, however, to climb back after they scored 11 of the next 19 points to tie it at 11-all.
Pitt-Johnstown took its first lead of the set when Krug stroked an ace to make it 13-12. But the real heroics came later after falling into a 19-16 deficit.
Natalie Lippincott's second and final kill of the night kickstarted a critical 7-2 run that afforded the Mountain Cats a 23-21 edge. Zuro's sixth kill of the set and a service error from Shepherd on set-point provided Pitt-Johnstown a 2-0 advantage.
There was no letdown with a chance to close it out after Zuro Cirino slapped three kills to open up a 6-3 lead in the third set. Zuro Cirino then supplied back-to-back kills to push that advantage to 16-9.
Despite Shepherd closing to within three late, Zuro Cirino's kill and a combo block by Berry and Pinske gave Pitt-Johnstown the final two points it needed to move on.
Pitt-Johnstown will battle Gannon at 7 p.m. Friday at Highmark Events Center for a spot in the Atlantic Region Championship.
