INDIANA, Pa. – Sophomore Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) had 10 kills and junior Lily McWilliams (Rockville, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton) added nine to help IUP to a three-set victory over Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West women's volleyball action on Saturday afternoon at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
IUP won by scores of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-18.
 
With the win, the Crimson Hawks improve to 16-11 overall and 8-9 in the PSAC. Slippery Rock drops to 10-20 and 3-14.
 
The Crimson Hawks continued with their strong play this weekend, this time getting the victory over a division rival. For the second straight match, IUP held the advantage in all major stat categories, outhitting Slippery Rock .182 to .088. The Crimson Hawks also had seven aces on the day while not giving on a single one defensively.
 
Cignetti hit .364 for the match while McWilliams hit .261. The Crimson Hawks also had solid offensive performances by senior Meghan Schneider (Lake Geneva, Wis. /Big Foot) (.214 hitting percentage) and sophomore Makayla Roy (Olney, Md. /Sherwood) (eight kills).
 
Sophomore setter Katie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) picked up the start for the second consecutive match, finishing with 24 assists while also tallying eight digs. Freshman Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) led the Crimson Hawks with 16 digs.
 
Defensively, IUP had five total blocks, with sophomore Gabrielle Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Obama Academy) finishing with three block assists to lead the team. Cignetti and Schneider each had two.
 
The Crimson Hawks trailed in the match just nine times, as they continuously strung together scoring runs to take Slippery Rock out of the match.
 
The Crimson Hawks are back in action on Tuesday night as they travel to Clarion to take on the Golden Eagles (16-13, 12-5). Match time is set for 7 p.m.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.