INDIANA, Pa. – The Crimson Hawks won their sixth straight conference match on Tuesday night, defeating Clarion in three sets in the comfort of the Kovalchick Complex.
 
Senior outside hitter Natalie Cignetti had a team-high 14 kills and a .311 hitting percentage as IUP won with scores of 26-24, 25-14 and 25-22.
 
IUP improved to 22-8 overall and 13-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), which is tied with Seton Hill and Gannon for the best mark in the league heading into the final weekend of regular season play.
 
Against Clarion (19-10, 11-6), the Crimson Hawks defense forced the Golden Eagles into a poor hitting night as they finished with a paltry 0.51 hitting percentage and 29 errors. IUP totaled 9.0 team blocks on the evening, with five total blocks coming from junior opposite Sami Brown. Cignetti and senior middle Gabby Egler each had four block assists.
 
Giving help on the back end were juniors Breanna Damiani and Jess Marut, who finished with 18 and 16 digs, respectively.
 
IUP also picked up six points on service aces, with senior Katie Miller tallying three for the third time in the last five matches. Miller also dished out 27 assists on IUP's 34 kills.
 
Weekend will decide playoff seeding
A long regular season comes down to the final weekend, as IUP hosts divisional opponents California (14-13, 8-8) on Friday and Seton Hill (21-5, 13-3) on Saturday. As previously stated, IUP and Seton Hill are part of the three-way first place tie in the conference.
 
Since the PSAC went to four divisions in 2016, any ties in standings go to a point system determine tournament seeds. After tonight's matches, IUP has 41 points, Seton Hill 39 and Gannon 38.
 
For reference, three points are given to teams with wins in three or four sets; two points to teams with wins in five sets; and one points for losses in five sets.
 
Overall conference record is still the determining factor in seeding, with the point system existing only to break any ties.
 
Weekend schedule
IUP and California will play on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Field House. The Crimson Hawks will then host Seton Hill on Saturday in the Kovalchick Complex at 1 p.m. following Senior Day festivities.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.