INDIANA, Pa. – Senior Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) finished with 21 kills and 20 digs as IUP women's volleyball split its season opening matches on the first day of the Quality Inn Crimson Hawk Invitational on Friday.
 
The Crimson Hawks defeated Ursuline in three sets before falling to sixth-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic in straight sets in the evening. They were the first two of four matches for IUP this weekend.
 
Cignetti had a team-high 15 kills on 38 attacks in the opener against Ursuline, and finished with a .342 hitting percentage. She also had 14 of her digs in the opener. Junior Sami Brown (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) also posted double-figure kills with 10, along with a .350 hitting percentage.
 
Junior Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) had 20 digs and graduate Ellie Burns (Clarion, Pa./Clarion) added 11. Senior Katie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) dished out 30 assists in the win.
 
The Crimson Hawks won by scores of 25-18, 25-21, 25-10.
 
IUP plays sixth-ranked Sailfish tough in three-set loss
Palm Beach Atlantic showed why it's a top 10 team in the nightcap, defeating the Crimson Hawks by scores of 25-18, 25-15, and 25-12.
 
IUP had the Sailfish on their heels in the opening set, grabbing an early 6-4 lead as Brown tallied three kills in the first few minutes. Palm Beach Atlantic took the lead at 11-9, but the Crimson Hawks regained theirs with three straight points.
 
The Sailfish (3-0) held the lead for the rest of the set, but the Crimson Hawks kept it close until a PBA 7-2 run the closed it out.
 
The sixth-ranked Sailfish are the highest-ranked women's volleyball team to ever play at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.
 
Up next
IUP is back in action tomorrow, wrapping up the invitational with matches against Roberts Wesleyan (10 a.m.) and Daemen (3 p.m.).
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.