Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

INDIANA, PA – Lauren Hester (State College, Pa. /State College) had 19 kills while Elizabeth Sova (Myerstown, Pa. /ELCO) added 16 and Kelly Barnes (Inver Grove Heights, MN/Simley) tallied 40 digs as IUP went 1-1 on the second day of the Crimson Hawk Invitational presented by Hampton Inn on Saturday.

IUP rallied to defeat Michigan Tech 3-2 in the morning match before falling to Cedarville 3-0 in the nightcap.

Against Cedarville, the Crimson Hawks started off hot with four straight points to open up the first set, including kills by Morgan Cerveny (Richfield, OH/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) and Lisa Kissel and a service ace by Hester. The Hornets then called a timeout and rattled off four consecutive points of their own and eight of the next nine overall to take an 8-5 lead.

The Crimson Hawks responded with five straight points, as Sova started the run with a kill, followed by another by Kissell and three big points from Aubree Frye (Indiana/Indiana): two kills and an ace.

The set would go back and forth, as IUP held a lead but never could go up by more than three points. After IUP took a 17-14 lead, Cedarville went on a 7-2 run to take a 21-19 advantage. The Crimson Hawks kept it close, but the Hornets finished off the 25-22 set one win.

It was more back-and-forth at the beginning of the second, as IUP held a 6-5 lead until reeling off six straight points, including two kills by Hester, to take a 12-5 lead. However Cedarville slowly chipped away, making small runs to eventually tie the score at 20-20 before going on to the 25-23 win.

The Crimson Hawks again took a lead in the third set, going on top 7-4  on the strength of a pair of aces by Frye and another by Kissell.

Cedarville would again fight back, taking an 8-7 lead and later staying on top 11-10. The Crimson Hawks took their turn on top, taking leads of 15-13, 16-15, and 20-19 over the Hornets. Cedarville got back on top 23-21 but IUP took three straight with the help of a pair of kills by Sova. Cedarville then held off IUP, scoring the final three points of the match for a 26-24 set three win.

Frye finished with three kills and 14 digs while Sarah Alman (Indiana/Indiana) had 19 assists and 10 digs.

From the earlier match against Michigan Tech, Hester had 15 kills, four aces and nine digs while Kissell added seven kills and 10 digs. Sova had nine kills and five blocks while Barnes added 24 digs defensively.

The Crimson Hawks finished the invite with a 3-1 record and are in action next weekend at the Wildcat Invitational in New Castle, Delaware.