INDIANA, Pa. – Sophomore Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) had a match-high 15 kills to help lead the IUP women's volleyball team to a three-set victory over visiting West Liberty in non-conference action on Tuesday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
It was Cignetti's 16th double-figure kill match of the year as the Crimson Hawks improved to 14-9 overall on the year. IUP won by scores of 25-11, 27-25 and 25-18.
 
Sophomore Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield), even though hampered by injury, finished with 13 kills and had three block assists. Senior Meghan Schneider (Lake Geneva, Wis. /Big Foot) had three kills, three service aces, and seen block assists.
 
Holding onto a 12-10 lead in the opening set, IUP used an 8-0 run off the serve of junior Lily McWilliams (Rockville, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton) to open up a 10-point lead. McWilliams had two aces on the run. An error halted the run, but the Crimson Hawks picked right back up by scoring the final five points of the set for the win.
 
The second match featured 12 ties and 12 lead changes, but the Crimson Hawks came out on top with three straight points in the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match. IUP jumped out to a quick 4-1 advantage in the third before relinquishing the lead at 11-10. The Crimson Hawks used a 3-0 run to retake the lead and never looked back for the seven-point victory.
 
Junior Lindsay Moeller (Troy, Mich./Troy) had 35 assists on the night and freshman Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) finished with a team-high 26 digs. Cignetti also had 12 digs for her 11th double-double of the season.
 
The Crimson Hawks get back to conference play this weekend with a pair of road matches in Erie. IUP, which is 6-7 in the PSAC and sixth place in the Western Division, will face Gannon (11-2, second) on Friday night and Mercyhurst (8-5, fifth) on Saturday afternoon.  
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.