INDIANA, PA –
Lily McWilliams (Rockville, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton) and
Elizabeth Sova (Myerstown, Pa. /ELCO) each had a combined 12 kills to help IUP split a pair of games as the Crimson Hawks competed in the first day of a women's volleyball conference crossover on Friday at the Kovalchick Complex.
The Crimson Hawks had all 16 players see the court as they fell to West Chester early in the day before rallying with a straight set win over Cheyney in the evening. They move to 7-11 overall and 3-8 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Gabrielle Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Obama Academy) led the way in the win over the Wolves, getting a season-high nine kills on 13 attempts, adding three total blocks and a pair of service aces.
IUP relied on several big runs against Cheyney, including a 13-2 run in the opening set to take an 18-5 lead. Egler finished up the set by serving six straight points, getting a kill by McWilliams to get a 25-8 victory. The second set was more of the same, with
Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) serving for nine of IUP's 10 straight points to open the game, which was highlighted by three aces. The Crimson Hawks also went on a 6-0 run before a 7-0 with
Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) on the serve ended a 25-5 set two win.
The Crimson Hawks opened up a 12-4 lead in the third set, but Cheyney battled back to make it a 17-14 game late in the set. IUP shut the Wolves down after that, ending the match on yet another run, scoring the final eight points with
Heather Urbaniak (Slippery Rock, Pa. /Slippery Rock) serving for the 25-14 win.
To go along with Anderson's three and Egler's two, Urbaniak also had a pair of aces.
Lisa Kissell (Greensburg, Pa. /Greensburg Salem) and Jenna Ververka each added one to give IUP nine on the night.
Cignetti finished with five kills and two digs while
Makayla Roy (Olney, Md. /Sherwood) had four and three, respectively.
Lindsay Moeller (Troy, Mich./Troy) had 20 assists for the Crimson Hawks and
Katie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) added 13.
Earlier in the day, IUP dropped a close three-setter to West Chester with scores of 25-22, 26-24, and 25-19. Sova had a team-high nine kills while Moeller had 15 assists and Veverka tallied 15 digs.
The Crimson Hawks will host the second day of the crossover tomorrow, with a total of four matches being played in the Memorial Field House. They'll go against East Stroudsburg at 10 a.m. and Kutztown at 6 p.m.
