CLARION, Pa. – Senior outside hitters
Natalie Cignetti and
Alexis Anderson combined for 25 kills, but it wasn't enough in an IUP women's volleyball four-set loss at division rival Clarion on Tuesday night.
The loss was the second in the last three matches for the Crimson Hawks, who fell to 14-6 overall and 5-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The tightly contested Southwest Division is led by Seton Hill at 6-1 in the league, while IUP, Clarion and California are all 5-2.
Clarion took the opening set by a score of 25-20. The Crimson Hawks bounced back in a big way with a 25-10 second set win as they appeared ready to take over the match, but Clarion took the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-19, respectively.
IUP dominated the second set by forcing Clarion into 10 hitting errors and a -.172 hitting percentage. That trend did not continue, however, as the Golden Eagles hit .316 in the third and .250 in the fourth, which proved to be the difference.
Senior
Katie Miller, the PSAC's leader in assists per set, dished out 41 on Tuesday, adding nine digs defensively. Junior
Jess Marut led IUP with 17 digs Cignetti had three of the team's six service aces.
Up next
The Crimson Hawks enter a big home weekend as they look to rebound from tonight's divisional loss, hosting Edinboro (13-5, 3-4) on Friday night and Slippery Rock (9-10, 1-6) on Saturday afternoon.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.
