INDIANA, Pa. – Junior Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) totaled 30 kills while classmate Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) add 24 as IUP women's volleyball opened their 2016 season with a pair of victories on Friday at the Kovalchick Complex. IUP is five other teams in the Quality Inn Crimson Hawk Invitational, playing four total matches over the course of two days.
 
Cignetti posted 17 kills in IUP's first win, a four-set victory over Ursuline in the afternoon. She and Anderson then each tallied 13 kills in the Crimson Hawks' three-set sweep of Roberts Wesleyan in the evening.
 
Also providing offense on Friday was senior Lily McWilliams (Rockville, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton) with 17 kills and junior Gabby Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Obama Academy) with 15. Both of their highs for the day came against Ursuline, with Egler getting 11 and McWilliams adding 10.
 
Senior Lindsay Moeller (Troy, Mich./Troy) was the main distributor, finishing with 76 assists – 44 against Ursuline and 32 in the win over Wesleyan.
 
Defensively, Anderson totaled seven blocks and Egler had six. Sophomore Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) led the way with 33 digs, while Cignetti added 30, McWilliams 24 and Moeller 21.
 
The Crimson Hawks fought back from a 26-24 loss in their opening set of the year with wins of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-19 in the match against Ursuline. IUP's hitting percentage increased in each set, going from .075 in the opener to .312 in the fourth. The Crimson Hawks forced Ursuline to hit just .153.
 
It was all IUP in the nightcap, with the Crimson Hawks using a huge run in the first set against Wesleyan to win 25-9. They scored a 25-16 win in the second before rallying from an early 6-0 hole in the third to clinch the match with a 25-21 final set victory. Although the offense started out strong in the evening, it was the IUP defense that carried the win, forcing Wesleyan to hit -0.010 for the match with 25 errors.
 
IUP will look for an undefeated weekend on Saturday, hosting Holy Family and 12:30 p.m. and Alderson Broaddus at 3 p.m.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.