Volleyball Drops Two to Close Out Shepherd Crossover Tournament
10/11/08...After splitting a pair of games to open the Sheperhed (WV) University Crossover Tournament on Friday, the Pitt-Johnstown volleyball team finished the tournament with a 3-2 loss to Slippery Rock University and a 3-0 loss to Indiana University (PA) on Saturday. Kristin Irwin (Bellefonte, Pa.) had 15 kills against Slippery Rock and Taylor Hrescak (Johnstown, Pa.) had 10 kills against IUP. The Lady Cats, who went 1-3 at the tournament, are now 16-9.
Pitt-Johnstown suffered a 16-25, 25-22, 25-17, 9-25, 9-15 loss to The Rock. Irwin added two block solos and three block assists to go with her 15 kills, while Hrescak had nine kills. Merissa Larrew (Irwin, Pa.) and Taylor King (York, Pa.) had 21 and 10 digs, respectively. Head coach Linda Renzi also got 18 digs from Katie Shadron (Ligonier, Pa.) and 11 digs from Abby Gearhart (Elton, Pa.), and four block assists apiece from Nicole Houser (Penn Run, Pa.) and Kayla Lape (Fishertown, Pa.) in the loss. Slippery Rock improved to 18-7.
The Lady Cats wrapped up the tournament with a 20-25, 25-27, 24-26 loss to IUP. Hrescak had 10 kills to lead Pitt-Johnstown. Irwin chipped in six kills and Houser had three block solos. Larrew led the Lady Cats with 18 assists, while Shadron (18 digs) and Gearhart (15 digs) paced the team in digs. With the victory, IUP raised its record to 10-14.
In Friday's opener, the Lady Cats suffered a 25-27, 25-22, 25-27, 25-22 loss to East Stroudsburg. Along with Hrescak's efforts, Irwinhad eight kills. Larrew paced Pitt-Johnstown with 18 set assists, while King had 16 assists and three service aces. Shadron finished with a team-high 24 digs, and Gearhart chipped in 16 digs in the loss. With the victory, East Stroudsburg improved to 11-13 on the year.
In Friday's nightcap, Pitt-Johnstown defeated Elizabeth City State 23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 21-25, 15-10. Irwin had 12 kills, three block solos and six block assists, and Kelly Miller (Stoystown, Pa.) added 11 kills. Larrew (24 assists) and King (16 assists) combined for 40 assists, while Shadron and Gearhart had 16 and 12 digs, respectively. Kayla Brandle (Johnstown, Pa.) had three block assists in the victory. With the loss, Elizabeth City State fell to 18-7.
Pitt-Johnstown travels to Seton Hill University for a WVIAC match on Tuesday, before hosting Fairmont State (WV) University for a non-conference match on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the Sports Center.