INDIANA, Pa. – IUP sophomore
Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) recorded her 1,000th career dig, but the celebration did not lead to win as the Crimson Hawks dropped a five-setter to visiting Shippensburg on Friday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
Marut became the seventh player in IUP women's volleyball history to reach the milestone, and at just a sophomore, the second fastest ever in the program. Entering the night with 994, she hit the mark in the opening set and finished the night with a match-high 28 digs.
IUP fell to 16-7 overall and 7-5 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The back-and-forth match saw Shippensburg (22-4, 9-3 PSAC) take the first, third, and fifth sets by scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 15-9. The Crimson Hawks won the second set 25-22 and the fourth set 26-24.
Both teams were even across the board, although Shippensburg outhit the Crimson Hawks .176 to .095 for the match, with IUP hitting -.032 in the fifth set.
Junior
Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) led all players with 20 kills on 64 attempts, her third 20-kill match of the year. Classmate
Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) had 19 kills to go along with a season-high 26 digs. Those two made up more than 68 percent of the team's kills on the evening.
Senior
Lindsay Moeller (Troy, Mich./Troy) handed out 51 assists, her second straight 50-assist match and third of the year. She also added 11 digs and had two service aces. Senior
Kaitlyn Palmer (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) played a big role in IUP's defensive effort, chipping in 18 digs.
The Crimson Hawks totaled nine aces against the Raiders, including three by freshman
Jordan Landis (York, Pa./York).
IUP will host Millersville on Saturday afternoon in what will be Senior Day for the Crimson Hawks. They'll honor Moeller, Palmer, and
Lily McWilliams (Rockville, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton) in a ceremony prior to the 2 p.m. match.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.
