CALIFORNIA, Pa. – Senior outside hitter Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) had a match-high 17 kills and added 16 digs to help lead IUP women's volleyball to a key four-set divisional win at California (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon.
 
It was Cignetti's 12th double-double of the year, as she added two service aces and a pair of block assists as the Crimson Hawks improved to 17-7 overall and 8-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
 
Cignetti's 21.0 total points are tied for her third most of the season.
 
It was a bounce back win for IUP, which lost a tough five-set match at Seton Hill on Friday night. The fight for the top spot in the Southwest Division remains hot, as Seton Hill leads with a 9-2 league record, with Clarion and IUP tied for second at 8-3. Cal trails at 6-4. Seven conference matches are left on each team's schedule.
 
The team's split the first two sets, with IUP winning the first 25-17 before Cal took the second 27-25. The Crimson Hawks then rattled off wins of 25-17 and 25-20 to clinch the match.
 
Senior outside hitter Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) chipped in 14 kills while junior opposite Sami Brown (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) had 11. As a team, the Crimson Hawks had 56 kills and hit .213. Senior setter Katie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) dished out the points, turning in her usual standout performance with 47 assists.
 
IUP totaled 10.0 team blocks, with four players posting at least four block assists. Freshman middle blocker Shelby Miles (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) had a team-best five block assists and junior libero Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) finished with 23 digs.  
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks have another road weekend on deck with matches at Millersville (14-6, 6-5) on Friday and Shippensburg (17-6, 10-1) on Saturday.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.