GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 7 IUP Crimson Hawks (20-10, 10-8 PSAC)
vs. No. 3 Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats (23-8, 15-3 PSAC)
Friday, November 18, 2016 | 5 p.m. | PSAC Semifinals
Hammermill Center | Erie, Pa.

Live Video: GannonSports.com | Live Video
Live Updates: Twitter | @IUPVB
IUP / Pitt-Johnstown winner
vs. No. 1 Gannon Lady Knights (28-3, 16-2 PSAC) / No. 4 California (Pa.) Vulcans (22-8, 13-5 PSAC) winner
Saturday, November 19, 2016 | 7 p.m. | PSAC Championship
Hammermill Center | Erie, Pa.

Live Video: GannonSports.com | Live Video
Live Updates (should IUP advance): Twitter | @IUPVB

THE GAME
The Crimson Hawks advanced to the PSAC semifinals for the first time since 2002 with a 3-1 victory at No. 2 seed Edinboro on Tuesday while the Mountain Cats downed No. 6 seed Seton Hill 3-1 at home on Tuesday. The winner of the IUP/Pitt-Johnstown match will play the top seed Gannon vs. fourth seed California (Pa.) winner on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Crimson Hawks are 20-10 and went 10-8 in PSAC play during the regular season. The Mountain Cats are 23-8 overall and were 15-3 in league play during the season.

STORYLINES
• IUP is in the PSAC tournament for the first time since 2004 while making the program's fourth all-time appearance in PSAC postseason play.
• IUP holds a 4-2 record all time in PSAC tournament play.
• IUP and Pitt-Johnstown will meet for the first time in the PSAC championships. The Mountain Cats joined the PSAC prior to the 2013 season.

THE NOTEBOOK

HEAD-TO-HEAD
IUP and Pitt-Johnstown met during the regular season with the Mountain Cats recording a 3-2 victory at home on November 4. Junior Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) led the Crimson Hawks with 18 kills and a career-high 25 digs, her sixth double-double of the season. Cignetti also finished with a double-double, her 17th of the year and ninth straight, putting up 12 kills and 15 digs. She added three service aces. Senior Lindsay Moeller (Troy, Mich./Troy) dished out 41 assists, adding four kills and 11 digs, while sophomore Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) had 23 digs.

WHAT'S AT-STAKE
The winner of the PSAC tournament championship, along with the Mountain East Conference (MEC) and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) champions, will earn an automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship. The top-five remaining teams in the NCAA Atlantic Region will earn at-large bids to the NCAA tournament. The PSAC has eight of the top-10 teams ranked as Gannon and Edinboro rank second and third, respectively. Pitt-Johnstown and Shippensburg round out the top-five. California (Pa.) sits at sixth while Seton Hill (8th), IUP (9th), and West Chester (10th) complete the rankings. 

VALUE IN VERSATILITY
Several IUP players ranked among the PSAC individual leaders during the regular season. Cignetti currently ranks fourth in the league with 3.64 kills/set. She also recorded a PSAC single-match high 28 kills against California (Pa.) on October 22. Moeller recorded the third highest single-game assist total when she tallied 58 against Concord on September 10. Marut is fourth among conference leaders, averaging 5.41 digs/set while Gabby Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Obama Academy) ranks eighth with 0.86 blocks/set.

For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.