GREENSBURG, Pa. – Senior outside hitter
Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) had a team-best 16 kills, but the Crimson Hawks lost a 2-0 lead to a surging Seton Hill in a five-set road divisional loss on Friday night.
IUP held a 2-0 lead in the match after set wins of 25-23 and 25-22, hitting a combined .347 with 31 kills. The offense then went cold as Seton Hill began its comeback, totaling 22 kills in the final three sets.
The loss dropped the Crimson Hawks to 16-7 overall and 7-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). They also fell one game back of Seton Hill in the Southwest Division standings, as the Griffins are tied with Clarion with 8-2 league records. California is fourth at 6-4.
Eight of Anderson's 16 kills came in the first two sets, including one that gave IUP a 16-15 lead in the opening set after trailing early on. Later in the set, with IUP trailing 18-17, senior outside hitter
Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) led a 4-0 run with three kills to help the Crimson Hawks take an early lead in the match.
Cignetti finished with 15 kills and a .226 hitting percentage, adding two service aces and nine digs.
The Crimson Hawks led for most of the second set, before a 7-1 run by Seton Hill tied the game at 22-22. But IUP regained the lead and then clinched the match on an ace by senior setter
Katie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead). It was one of two aces from Miller on the night, adding 45 assists and 10 digs.
IUP totaled 15 blocks for the match, with senior middle blocker
Gabby Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Barack Obama Academy) leading the way with two solo and seven assists. The Crimson Hawks forced Seton Hill into 30 hitting errors
Seton Hill held the lead in most of the remaining three sets, posting wins of 25-16, 25-23 and 15-11 to earn the victory.
Up next
IUP continues its weekend road trip tomorrow at Cal. Match time is set for 1 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.
