INDIANA, Pa. – Sophomore Madi Burns had one of several standout performances with a career-high 16 kills to help IUP women's volleyball to a five-set upset victory over California (Pa.) at the Kovalchick Complex Saturday afternoon.
 
Burns and junior Jessica Ignace, who had 14 kills, were the offensive centerpieces as IUP clawed back from a 2-0 deficit to win three straight sets to post a huge comeback win, stop a six-match losing streak, and improve to 7-17 overall and 3-8 in PSAC play.
 
Burns finished with a double-double, adding 11 digs with a pair of block assists to finish with 17.0 points scored. Ignace had three total blocks and totaled 16.0 points.
 
The Vulcans (14-9, 7-4 PSAC) squeaked out a pair of 25-23 wins to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The IUP defense had forced Cal into several mistakes as the Vulcans totaled 17 hitting errors in the first two sets.
 
After a back-and-forth start to the third set, IUP took an 11-10 lead and didn't look back in a 25-17 win. The Crimson Hawks hit .205 for the set and used a 6-1 run to get some breathing room.
 
IUP had an 8-2 run in the fourth set to break open a 1-point game in a 25-18 win. The fifth set included eight ties and three lead changes, but IUP watched as Cal took it to the edge with a 14-12 lead. The Crimson Hawks scored three straight, taking a 15-14 lead on a block by Jasmine Raudys and Kylie Osborn.
 
After the Vulcans tied things up at 15-15, the IUP defense picked up another block before sophomore Liv Burns clinched the comeback with her fourth service ace of the match.
 
The Crimson Hawks finished with eight aces on the day, with senior Breanna Damiani (two), sophomore Dominica Niccolai, and freshman Lexi Hraga each adding to that total.
 
IUP also finished with 17.0 total blocks, with sophomore Shelby Miles finishing with two solos and seven assists for a career-high 9.0 total. She added eight kills for 13.5 points. Osborn added two solo and six assisted blocks, while Raudys had five block assists.
 
On the back end, senior libero Jess Marut finished with 25 digs while Damiani had 11. Liv Burns added a career-high 17.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks host their final home weekend of the year with Kutztown (8-12, 2-9) Friday night and East Stroudsburg (18-5, 8-3) Saturday afternoon.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.