Ellie Zuro Cirino led all Pitt-Johnstown hitters with 16 kills as the Mountain Cats rallied to defeat Walsh (OH) University 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-22, 25-19) on Saturday at the Frostburg State Tournament, improving to 5-2 on the season.
Zuro Cirino and Kiara Harmon were both name to the All-Tournament Team.
Zuro Cirino paced the Pitt-Johnstown attack with her 16 kills on a .238 hitting percentage, adding three digs and an ace. Caroline Knight and Harmon each finished with 11 kills, with Knight also chipping in 11 digs and two service aces, and Harmon adding two aces and three blocks. Avery Koontz anchored the back row with a match-high 22 digs, while setter Arielis Valle Villegas ran the offense with 29 assists. Dannika Susko led the Mountain Cats defensively at the net with five total blocks, and Alanna Rivera contributed eight kills off the bench.
Pitt-Johnstown out-hit Walsh for the match, finishing at a .229 clip on 54 kills and just 18 errors, compared to Walsh's .148 percentage on 55 kills and 31 errors. The two teams were even in assists at 52 apiece and tied in aces with eight each, but the Mountain Cats held the edge in blocks, 8-6, while Walsh out-dug Pitt-Johnstown 76-68.
Pitt-Johnstown jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first set behind kills from Rivera and Zuro Cirino, but Walsh chipped away and eventually tied the set at 13-13 and again at 14-14. The two sides traded points down the stretch, knotting the score at 18-18 and 19-19, and Walsh briefly grabbed its first lead of the set at 18-17 on a kill from Izzy Shank. Pitt-Johnstown answered immediately, going on a run fueled by kills from Kiara Harmon and Zuro Cirino to close out the set, 25-21.
Walsh flipped the script in the second, opening with a service ace from Caroline Knight that put Pitt-Johnstown up 1-3 before the Cavaliers began chipping away. Walsh tied it at 15-15 on an ace from Locie Levengood, then ripped off a string of points, including three straight kills, to surge ahead 18-15. Pitt-Johnstown clawed back to tie the set at 24-24 on a kill from Kiara Harmon, but Walsh closed it out on a kill from Ava Budrys Rini to escape with the 26-24 win and even the match at one set apiece.
Walsh carried its momentum into the third, opening with back-to-back service aces from Emerson Sheets to grab a quick 2-0 edge. Pitt-Johnstown answered right away, tying the set at 2-2 on an attack error and then taking the lead for good on an ace from Caroline Knight. The Mountain Cats built their advantage behind a string of kills from Zuro Cirino and Harmon, but Walsh chipped back into contention late, tying the set at 20-20. Pitt-Johnstown regained control down the stretch and closed out the set, 25-22, on a kill from Harmon.
Pitt-Johnstown carried that momentum into the fourth set, building an early cushion behind a service ace and a kill from Kiara Harmon that pushed the lead to 5-... Walsh hung around, tying the set at 9-9 and again at 11-11 before Pitt-Johnstown pulled away for good in the second half of the frame, closing out the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth.
Walsh was led by Izzy Shank, who recorded a match-high 18 kills, with Maria Montseny adding 15. Emerson Sheets directed the Walsh offense with 26 assists, and Sabrina Da Silva topped the Cavaliers with 17 digs. Maggie Rolwing paced Walsh at the net with four blocks. The loss dropped Walsh to 3-4 on the season.
Pitt-Johnstown continues tournament play next weekend at the Shepherd (WV) University Tournament, facing Millersville University on Friday, Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. before taking on host Shepherd University later that day at 5 p.m.
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