INDIANA, Pa. – Senior outside hitter Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) had 17 kills and hit .429 to help IUP women's volleyball to a three-set win over California (Pa.) in the Memorial Field House on Friday night.
 
The win sets up a huge final day of the regular season as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest Division title and top seed in the conference tournament is on the line against Seton Hill.
 
The Crimson Hawks enter the match with a 23-8 overall record and are in a three-way tie with Seton Hill and Gannon for the best league record at 14-3. An IUP win over Seton Hill will give the Crimson Hawks the division title, and with more FIVB points than Gannon, they would also clinch home court advantage throughout next week's PSAC Championships.
 
IUP had its best overall offensive performance in more than a month, hitting .371 with 42 kills on 89 total attacks to win by scores of 25-19, 25-8 and 25-17. The Crimson Hawks hit .550 in their blowout second set win, forcing Cal into nine hitting errors as the Vulcans (14-14, 8-9) hit -.143 for the set.
 
Senior outside hitter Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) had nine kills and junior opposite Sami Brown (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) added eight. Senior setter Katie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) dished out 35 assists.
 
IUP had 5.0 team blocks, with senior middle Elora Pittman (Jackson, Mich./Michigan Center) totaling three. Junior Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) had a match-high 15 digs and graduate Ellie Burns added 10.
 
IUP celebrates Senior Day on Saturday
Prior to Saturday's match with Seton Hill, the Crimson Hawks will celebrate their six seniors: Anderson, Burns, Cignetti, Gabby Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Barack Obama Academy), Miller and Pittman. Opening serve comes at 1 p.m. at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.