Slippery Rock University Athletics

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University volleyball team lost to Pitt-Johnstown in four sets (22-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-23) Friday night at Morrow Field House.
 
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division defeat moves The Rock's record to 6-15 overall and 0-9 in league competition. Pitt-Johnstown improves to 11-7 overall and 5-4 in divisional play after the win.
 
SRU finished the match with a season-high 13 total blocks and its sixth highest kill total in 2026 (43).
 
Slippery Rock's attack was paced by the freshmen combination of Ellie Friedrichs and Ali Haynes. The rookie duo each recorded 10 kills. Haynes added three blocks (1 solo / 2 assisted) and Friedrichs made six digs.
 
Hayden Deming (8), Victoria Nalbach (7) and Ava Haynes (5) rounded out SRU's kill leaders. Deming and Nalbach each provided SRU with five blocks as well (1 solo / 4 assisted), with Nalbach also serving one ace.
 
Also contributing to Slippery Rock's season high block total was the grouping of Ava Haynes (1 solo / 2 assisted), Ryan Cameron (1 solo / 2 assisted) and Alayna Esselink (2 assisted).
 
Setters Emily Loeffler and Paityn Krause distributed 19 and 16 assists, respectively, while Krause also made 11 digs for the double-double performance.
 
Leah Schreckengost tallied her sixth multi-ace match of the year with two. Bailey Espana accounted for The Rock's fourth ace of the evening as well.
 
Maggie Means, another Rock freshman, played a season-high four sets and compiled a team-best 14 digs.
 
The Rock and Mountain Cats traded points for much of what was a back-and-forth first set as SRU and UPJ played into 12 ties over the course of the opener. With the set in a 19-19 stalemate, Slippery Rock took five consecutive points before fending off a UPJ rally for the 25-22 win.
 
Slippery Rock registered a .204 attack percentage in the first set, highlighted by four kills apiece from Friedrichs, Deming and Ali Haynes as well as six assists and seven digs from Krause.
 
However, the Mountain Cats used respective 11-4 and 14-6 runs to open the second and third sets en route to back-to-back 25-15 and 25-19 wins, giving UPJ a 2-1 set lead.
 
Slippery Rock and Pitt-Johnstown traded sizable runs in the fourth set, ultimately resulting in a 19-19 contest only for UPJ to claim three straight points to take a seemingly safe 22-19 lead. SRU answered by grabbing four of the next six points – including a kill and a block by Deming – to claw back to within one point of the Mountain Cats at 24-23.
 
Pitt-Johnstown ended The Rock's push to force a fifth set when Ellie Zuro Cirino put away her 23rd kill of the night, giving UPJ a narrow 25-23 match-deciding win.
 
Pitt-Johnstown was led by Zuro Cirino (23 kills) and Kiara Harmon (7 blocks). The Mountain Cats held advantages over The Rock in kills (61-43), attack percentage (.223 / .139), aces (8-4) and digs (73-59).
 
Slippery Rock finishes out the weekend 6 p.m. Saturday at Indiana (Pa.).
 
 
 
 
 
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