The Pitt-Johnstown women’s volleyball team battled back from a 2-0 set deficit in a five-set conference victory Friday over Indiana (Pa.) University.

The Lady Cats dropped the first two sets 28-26 and 25-20, but fought back to win the next three, 25-12, 25-16 and 15-9 to win the match.

The team outscored The Crimson Hawks 20-5 in the third set.

Freshman middlhitter Ann Johns’ kill made it 14-9, and two consecutive Crimson Hawks errors extended the lead to double figures, before junior middle-hitter Kendall Mahony’s kill and another IUP error gave the Lady Cats the 25-12 win.

Pitt-Johnstown maintained the momentum and coasted to a 25-16 win to force a fifth set and win the match.

Against Clarion University on Saturday the Lady Cats got 13 kills apiece from  redshirt junior outsidehitter Marissa Erminio and sophomore outsidehitter Maura Brehl to help the Lady Cats avenge last year’s loss to Clarion in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-19 conference sweep.

Looking to complete the three-set sweep, the Lady Cats ran out to a 12-5 lead in the third set and never let the Golden Eagles get closer than five the rest of the way.

Clarion narrowed it to 21-16 on an ace from junior Shelby Coughenour, but the Lady Cats made match point on another Clarion attack error and closed out the 25-19 win on Erminio’s kill.

The Lady Cats have won five straight matches and improve to 20-7 overall and 13-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Central Division, securing a conference tournament spot.