BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg women's volleyball team the program record for total blocks in a match despite falling to Pitt-Johnstown in five sets in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action, Friday evening. The Huskies took the first set 25-16 but dropped sets two and three 25-20, 25-19. Bloomsburg rebounded for a 25-20 fourth set win before the Mountain Cats secured the match win with a 15-8 victory in the fifth set.
 
As a team, Bloomsburg posted 14 total blocks, setting the program's single match record. The previous record stood at 10.0 total blocks against Mercyhurst on October 26, 2018. Sophomore Grace Giza (Plymouth, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) finished the day with 5.0 total blocks behind three solo blocks and four block assists.  
 
Giza kicked off the first set with a kill to give Bloomsburg a 1-0 lead before junior Alyssa Cianciulli (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) rattled off nine-straight points for the Huskies. Cianciulli's service run was highlighted by four aces, including three-in-a-row. The Mountain Cats got three points back after getting a side out on a service error but the hole was too deep to climb out of for UPJ. The Mountain Cats cut the lead to four, 13-9, thanks to a block by Noelle Carota and Caitlin Vrabel but sophomore Mary Kate Mooney (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) kicked off a four-point run for Bloomsburg with her first kill of the match to give Bloomsburg a 17-9 lead. The Huskies eventually pushed their lead to 10 points at 23-13 and again with their first set point at 24-14. UPJ got a pair of points back before Mooney ended the set at 25-16 in favor of Bloomsburg with her second kill.
 
Bloomsburg opened the second set with a 4-1 run but the Mountain Cats clawed their way back to tie the set at 4-4. The two teams traded the next four points before Pitt-Johnstown used a three-point run to take the lead, 8-6. Bloomsburg eventually tied the set at 12-12 thanks to another kill from Giza but Pitt-Johnstown retook the lead at 13-12 and did not relinquish it for the rest of the set. The Mountain Cats led by as many as five points with a 23-18 lead but a kill from Mooney and sophomore Sydney Buell (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) cut the lead down to four, 24-20. Lauren Gechter ended the set for the Mountain Cats 25-20 and tied the match at one set a piece.
 
The Huskies once again took an early lead, 3-1, but the Mountain Cats scored seven straight points to take the lead 8-3 and never backed down. Bloomsburg cut the lead down two, 14-12, thanks to four-straight points, including a pair of aces from Cianciulli, but the Mountain Cats got a kill from Carota to regain the serve. UPJ eventually took the lead 22-18 but a kill from Mooney cut it to three, 22-19. The Mountain Cats served out the set to take a 2-1 lead in the match with the 25-19 victory.
 
The fourth set opened as a back-and-forth affair before the Huskies took control with a nine-point run to push their lead to 17-8. The run was highlighted by three blocks (two assisted and one solo) from Buell. After a timeout for the Mountain Cats, UPJ rattled off three-straight points to cut the lead to 17-11. The two teams went back and forth without a run from either side until the Mountain Cats used a four-point run to cut the lead to 21-17. Bloomsburg closed out the fourth set with a 4-3 advantage to win 25-20 as Giza ended the set with her ninth kill of the match.
 
Pitt-Johnstown took the quick lead in the fifth and deciding set with a pair of kills from Carota and a Bloomsburg attack error. The Huskies got on the board as Giza and sophomore Mia Nicholes (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) blocked a Carota attack attempt. The Mountain Cats were the first team to eight, however, and led 8-3 at the changeover. The Huskies cut the lead back to two, 9-7, thanks to a Mountain Cat attacking error but UPJ rebounded for four-straight points to take the lead, 13-7. Buell cut the lead to 13-8 but a kill from Carota and a block by Anna Johns closed out the set and the match for Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Mooney led the Huskies with 11 kills and eight digs while Giza finished with nine kills and 5.0 total blocks. Buell chipped in six kills, 12 assists and 12 digs for the match. Sophomore Bryn Stek (Ambler, Pa./Upper Dublin) led Bloomsburg with 23 assists and added seven digs. Cianciulli posted 30 digs in the five sets and six service aces.