CHARLESTON, W.Va. – IUP women's volleyball opened up its weekend action by splitting a pair of matches on Friday in at the University of Charleston. The Crimson Hawks defeated Notre Dame (Ohio) in three sets before falling to the host Eagles in five, and are now 5-2 overall on the year.
 
The schools are some of several participating in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) / Mountain East Conference (MEC) crossover on Friday and Saturday in West Virginia.
 
Senior outside hitter Natalie Cignetti (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) led all IUP scorers with 28 kills and 34.5 points, averaging 3.50 kills per set. She had six service aces and added a team-best 24 digs. Fellow seniors Gabby Egler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Barack Obama Academy) and Alexis Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield) each had 23 kills on the day, with Egler hitting .538 with 11 block assists. Senior setter Katie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) combined for 84 assists.
 
Crimson Hawks shut out Notre Dame in 65 minutes
IUP did quick work of the Falcons in the afternoon, winning by scores of 25-11, 25-13 and 25-16. Anderson had a match-high 13 kills on 21 total attacks, hitting .476 for the match. Egler added 11 kills while boasting a .688 hitting percentage.
 
As a team, IUP hit .425 against NDC, with 41 kills and just seven errors on 80 total attacks. Defensively, the Crimson Hawks limited the Falcons to a .078 hitting percentage, tallying eight team blocks.
 
Charleston takes five-set marathon match in the evening
Despite outscoring Charleston, IUP was edged by the Eagles a five-set match to finish the day's action. The Crimson Hawks picked up wins in the first and fourth sets, with the final set featuring five ties along the way before UC clinched it with a 15-13 victory.
 
Cignetti put up a match-high 20 kills, her second outing of 20-plus kills this season. Junior Sami Brown (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) tallied 13 kills while Egler added 12, with the two each posting four block assists. Junior libero Jess Marut (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) a team-high 19 digs.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks head to West Virginia State and Institute, W.Va. tomorrow for matches against the host Yellow Jackets and Urbana.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.