Pitt-Johnstown Wins Five-Set Thriller to Claim 2017 PSAC Volleyball Title
Photo Credit to Matt Mead
TOURNAMENT MVP - Pitt-Johnstown's Marissa Erminio
CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
ERIE, Pa. --- No. 4-seeded Pitt-Johnstown mounted a furious comeback to defeat No. 2 Gannon, 17-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-12, 15-13, to win the 2017 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship Saturday evening at Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa.
The Mountain Cats (26-8) were led by tournament MVP Marissa Erminio. Erminio amassed 11 kills and 18 digs. The Lady Knights (28-6) were paced by Ally Smith, who produced a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs. GU’s Kelsey Ansec led all players with 16 kills.
UPJ claims its first PSAC title since 2013 and its second in school history.
The contest marked the eighth five-set championship match since 1990. The last five-setter was in 2013.
GU jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the first set after opening play with three consecutive service aces.
The Lady Knights kept UPJ at arm’s length throughout the remainder of the set before claiming it following a UPJ attack error.
Neither squad was able to establish much of a lead in the second, however, a 10-3 run by GU gave it a two sets-to-none advantage.
The Mountain Cats took an early 9-2 lead in the third and staved off a rally thanks to strong play from Caitlin Vrabel. Vrabel chipped in with a kill and block assist late in the set.
UPJ dominated the fourth and swung at a match-best .379 while holding GU to a -.074 mark.
The fifth set provided to the most entertaining of the night while it was a see-saw affair.
The Mountain Cats took a 13-10 lead following a GU attack error. GU cut the deficit to one, 14-13, before a kill from UPJ’s Noelle Carota sealed the contest.
Five GU players notched double-digit digs, led by Maggie Wilhelm’s 25.
Four-time PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year, Devan Orr, contributed a match-high 29 digs.
UPJ earned an automatic berth to the NCAA DII Volleyball Championship and will find out its seeding on Monday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
FINAL - AT GANNON (Erie, Pa.) – SATURDAY, NOV. 18
No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown 3, No. 2 Gannon 2
Box Score
UPJ Recap
GU Recap
SEMIFINALS - AT GANNON (Erie, Pa.) – FRIDAY, NOV. 17
No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown 3, No. 8 Edinboro 2
Box Score
UPJ Recap
EU Recap
No. 2 Gannon 3, No. 6 West Chester 0
Box Score
GU Recap
WCU Recap
QUARTERFINALS – AT HIGHER SEED – TUESDAY, NOV. 14, 7 P.M.
No. 8 Edinboro 3, No. 1 IUP 2
Box Score
EU Recap
IUP Recap
No. 2 Gannon 3, No. 7 Clarion 1
Box Score
GU Recap
CU Recap
No. 6 West Chester 3, No. 3 Seton Hill 1
Box Score
WCU Recap
SHU Recap
No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown 3, No. 5 Shippensburg 0
Box Score
UPJ Recap
SU Recap
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The 2017 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship field has been set following the conclusion of the regular season, the league office announced Saturday afternoon.
Eight teams will vie for the coveted PSAC title while the top four seeds will host their respective quarterfinal matches. All four quarterfinals will be played Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
The IUP Crimson Hawks earned the No. 1 seed after posting a 15-3 PSAC mark. IUP will be led by Katie Miller, who leads the league in assists per set with 11.13 while Natalie Cignetti paces the PSAC with 4.40 kills per set.
Gannon swiped the No. 2 seed while boasting an impressive 15-3 league record. The Lady Knights won the PSAC title last season and look to repeat behind the defense of Ashley Kerestes. Kerestes leads the league blocks per set with 1.30. GU has won five consecutive matches and has held its opposition to a .120 hitting percentage on the season; which is second-best in the conference.
Seton Hill grabbed the No. 3 slot while going 14-4 in league play. Coach Rick Hall won his 700th career match Nov. 7. The Griffins will likely ride the arm of Leah BIsignani, who has the second-best hitting percentage in the PSAC at a .336 clip.
Pitt-Johnstown claimed the No. 4 seed after and looks to make a deep run behind Caitlin Vrabel. Vrabel leads the PSAC in hitting percentage (.342) and defensive specialist Devan Orr. Orr holds the PSAC career record for digs and sits fifth in the league this year with 5.67 per set.
Shippensburg earned the No. 5 spot after winning a pair of five-setters on the weekend. The Raiders posted 21 regular season wins while Samantha Webber is second in the PSAC in kills with 360.
West Chester enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed while posting a 12-6 league mark. The Golden Rams defense is the best in the league when it comes to opponents hitting percentage (.108) while Nicki Yates paces the PSAC in aces (51) and aces per set (0.52).
Clarion snagged the No. 7 seed while pacing the conference with 12.71 assists per set. Setter Leah Vensel is second in the PSAC with 10.58 assists per set. Catherine Ferragonio is third in the league in digs with 5.96 per set.
Edinboro secured the No. 8 spot after winning eight of its final 10 matches. The Fighting Scots’ Cierah Jackson is third in the PSAC with 3.67 kills per set.
The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA DII Volleyball Championship.
QUARTERFINALS – AT HIGHER SEED – TUESDAY, NOV. 14, 7 P.M.
No. 8 Edinboro at No. 1 IUP
No. 7 Clarion at No. 2 Gannon
No. 6 West Chester at No. 3 Seton Hill
No. 5 Shippensburg at No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown
SEMIFINALS – AT HIGHEST REMAINING SEED – FRIDAY, NOV. 17
Winner of No. 1/8 vs. Winner of No. 4/5 – TBD
Winner of No. 2/7 vs. Winner of No. 3/6 – TBD
FINAL – SAME LOCATION AS SEMIS – SATURDAY, NOV. 18
Winner of semifinal 1 vs. winner of semifinal 2 - TBD