Pitt-Johnstown dropped a hard-fought PSAC West battle to Clarion on Friday night in the Mountain Cats' home opener at the Sports Center, falling 3-1 by set scores of 26-24, 25-15, 25-23, 25-17. Ellie Zuro Cirino paced the Mountain Cats offense with a match-high 11 kills as Pitt-Johnstown falls to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in PSAC play.
Zuro Cirino led all Pitt-Johnstown hitters with her 11 kills, and Caroline Knight was right behind her with eight kills of her own. Dannika Susko chipped in six kills, while Kiara Harmon and Alanna Rivera each added six as well to give the Mountain Cats four players in double figures for attacking touches.
Avery Koontz turned in a standout defensive effort, digging up 27 balls to lead all players on the floor, with Arielis Valle Villegas adding 10 digs and Knight contributing nine from the back row.
Valle Villegas also ran the Mountain Cats offense from the setter position, dishing out 17 assists, with Abby Berry close behind at 15 assists as the two combined to set up the bulk of Pitt-Johnstown's attack.
Harmon anchored the block for Pitt-Johnstown with five total blocks (two solo, three assisted), while Susko and Knight each finished with three block assists. On the service line, Valle Villegas notched a team-best two aces, with Harmon and Alanna Rivera each adding one.
Clarion out-hit Pitt-Johnstown by a narrow 41-39 margin in kills and held sizable edges in aces (15-4) and blocks (12-8), while the two sides were even in assists at 37 apiece. The Golden Eagles also finished with a 75-72 advantage in digs as the visitors edged the Mountain Cats in several statistical categories on their way to the win.
Set one was a back-and-forth battle from the opening serve, with Zuro Cirino and Knight trading kills to keep Pitt-Johnstown in front through the midpoint. Clarion clawed back behind aces and kills from Taylor Haupt, Natalie Karrick and Raegan Stader, and after Pitt-Johnstown pushed ahead late, the Golden Eagles closed on a late service run from Kalina Powell and Marisa Markou to escape with a 26-24 win.
Clarion carried that momentum into set two, breaking the set open with a string of Pitt-Johnstown attack errors and timely kills from Powell and Karrick. The Mountain Cats never found their footing in the frame, dropping the set 25-15.
Pitt-Johnstown answered in set three, riding kills from Zuro Cirino, Susko and Rivera along with steady setting from Berry to trade points with Clarion deep into the set. The Mountain Cats closed it out on a Valle Villegas service ace, taking the set 25-23 and staying alive in the match.
Clarion regrouped in the fourth, jumping ahead early behind a service run from Haupt that included back-to-back aces, and Markou followed with an ace and kill combination of her own to extend the lead. Pitt-Johnstown battled to the finish behind kills from Rivera and Stader, but Clarion closed out the match with a 25-17 set win.
Clarion was led offensively by Raegan Stader's 11 kills, with Finley Kearney adding nine and Taylor Haupt chipping in seven. Marisa Markou ran the Golden Eagles' attack with 20 assists, and Taylor Haupt topped Clarion's defensive effort with 17 digs. The win improved Clarion to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in PSAC play.
Pitt-Johnstown returns to action Saturday, hosting Slippery Rock at the Sports Center in Johnstown, with first serve set for 12 p.m.
Â
