INDIANA, Pa. – Senior Lily McWilliams (Rockville, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton) had 14 kills and the IUP defense forced Seton Hill to hit negative for the final three sets as the Crimson Hawks scored a four-set victory on Friday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
McWilliams' 14 kills came on 38 total attacks as she hit .237 for the match. She added 15 digs for her fourth double-double of the year, adding three total blocks and three aces in the win.
 
The Crimson Hawks improved to 15-6 overall and 6-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). IUP closed the gap with Seton Hill in the Southwest Division, the toughest in the conference, as the Crimson Hawks are now just one win back of the second place Griffins in the standings.
 
After a strong 25-13 opening set victory by Seton Hill, IUP forced the Griffins into hitting -0.053 the rest of the way as they committed 24 attack errors while recording just 18 kills.
 
IUP finished with 10.0 total team blocks, with junior Gabby Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Obama Academy) leading the way with seven block assists. Adding to the defensive effort at the net were junior Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) and senior Lindsay Moeller (Troy, Mich./Troy) with four and three block assists, respectively. Sophomore Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) finished with a team-high 24 digs, her 11th match of 20-plus this season.
 
Cignetti also posted a double-double, her 13th of the year, with 11 kills and 16 digs to go along with her defensive play. Moeller dished out 39 assists, adding two kills and an ace.
 
The match was the first of the weekend and the first of four straight at home for the Crimson Hawks, who will host California (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The Vulcans entered the weekend tied with Seton Hill for the top spot in the division with a 7-2 league record.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.