INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's volleyball hit a combined .325 on Saturday as the Crimson Hawks defeated Daemen and Roberts Wesleyan in the final day of their weekend invitational at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
Senior Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) led the way with 20 kills and a .372 hitting percentage in the two victories, as the Crimson Hawks took down both opponents in three sets.
 
She was one of four IUP players with 10-plus kills on the day, as senior Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) finished with 17, junior Sami Brown (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) added 15, and senior Gabby Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Barack Obama Academy) had 10.
 
Senior Katie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) finished with 61 assists on the day, including 37 in the afternoon against Roberts Wesleyan.
 
The IUP defense also stood out, limiting the opponents to a combined -.011 hitting percentage, forcing them into 48 errors. The Crimson Hawks had 14.0 blocks, including eight block assists from Brown and seven by Egler. Daemen hit just -.095 in the morning match, with IUP forcing the Wildcats into 29 hitting errors.
 
IUP has successful start to the season
The Crimson Hawks went 3-1 over the weekend, with their only loss to sixth-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic on Friday. Cignetti totaled 41 kills, Miller had 109 assists, and junior Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) had 60 digs. All three of the team wins came in three sets.
 
Up next
IUP hits the road on Tuesday for a match at West Liberty, before heading back down to West Virginia over the weekend for a four-match PSAC/Mountain East crossover.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.