Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

SLIPPERY ROCK, PA – Morgan Cerveny (Richfield, OH/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) racked up 39 kills, including an incredible 26 against Shippensburg, as IUP split its two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover volleyball matches on Friday afternoon.

Cerveny averaged 4.9 kills per set on the day as she finished with a .344 hitting percentage on 90 total attacks. She also had nine block assists to finish with 43.5 points combined in the two matches.

The Crimson Hawks (15-7, 4-3) got their win over Millersville in three sets, getting easy wins over 25-15, 25-18 and 25-15.

In the first set, IUP jumped out to an 8-3 lead before stretching it to 14-7. The Marauders rallied, scoring three straight points to narrow their deficit to 15-11 before a 5-1 run by the Crimson Hawks gave them a 20-12 advantage. They would end the match by scoring four of the last five for the 10-point win.

IUP scored the first five points of the second set before taking a 10-3 lead, but again Millersville clawed back, narrowing the Crimson Hawks lead to 12-8 after going on a 5-2 run. A six-point run by IUP opened the gap, going on to win by seven.

The Crimson Hawks took a 5-2 lead in the third set but Millersville would come back to tie the score at 6-6. It was later a 12-11 lead for IUP before ripping off a 9-2 run to open things up, leading to another 10-point win.

Cerveny finished with 13 kills on 31 attacks while Megan Schneider had seven on 11 and Lauren Hester (State College, Pa. /State College) six on 16. Sarah Alman (Indiana/Indiana) added 32 assists.

It was a true back-and-forth match for the Crimson Hawks in their five-set loss to Shippensburg later on. The Raiders took the first set 25-11 and the third set 25-16 as IUP won the second 25-23 and the fourth 25-21. Shippensburg won the tight battle with a 15-12 fifth set win.

IUP fell down 10-3 in the opener, narrowing it to a 12-7 deficit later. Shippensburg widened the gap with a 5-2 run and later led 20-10 before scoring five of the last six points for the win.

It was IUP's turn in the second set, grabbing a 5-1 lead early, keeping the Raiders at bay to later lead 11-7. The Crimson Hawks then opened up a comfortable lead, scoring five straight points, leading a 7-1 run to go on top 18-8. Shippensburg would mount a big comeback, however, going on an 11-2 run to cut its deficit to 20-19. After trading points, Cerveny finished off the set with a kill and a two-point win.

Shippensburg took a 7-4 lead in the third, but IUP came right back to tie the set at 8-8 before taking an 11-9 lead. The Raiders didn't stay down for long, scoring nine straight points to take an 18-11 lead. IUP cut the lead to four, but Shippensburg scored seven of the last nine to end the set.

IUP used a 7-0 run early in the fourth to take an 8-2 lead before Shippensburg cut the advantage to three at 12-9 later. The Crimson Hawks regained momentum, going on top by seven at 20-13 but again the Raiders made it a three-point set at 21-18. It was still a three-point lead at 24-21 before another kill by Cerveny ended it, sending the match to the fifth.

In the final set, IUP grabbed a 5-3 lead early and then held a 12-9 advantage but the Raiders made a late run scoring the final six points to clinch the set.

Cerveny's 26 kills came on 59 attacks, also adding six block assists for 29.0 total points. Alman finished with 45 assists. Defensively, Schneider and Ellen Fordon (Chicago, IL/Lincoln-Way East) had nice games at the net with seven block assists apiece while Kelly Barnes (Inver Grove Heights, MN/Simley) led the way with 20 digs, one of five in double digits. Hester added 15 digs and Aubree Frye (Indiana/Indiana) had 12 while Alman and Ericka Lentz (Reading/Holy Name) each tallied 11.

IUP is back in action in Slippery Rock tomorrow, taking on East Stroudsburg and Lock Haven.