INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's volleyball breezed to an early lead and held off a final push from Slippery Rock in an exciting five-set victory on Friday night inside the KCAC.
The first meeting between the two sides on September 13 went five sets, and Friday's matchup had no shortage of back and forth action in a battle of two teams fighting for postseason positioning. IUP (16-4, 6-3) received 19 kills from
Nicole Peterson, with
Brooke Little (14) and
Caroline Walsh (13) also reach double figures in kills.
Lauren Valentic added nine kills and eight block assists as part of a big night for the Crimson Hawks.
Stefania Anagnostou notched seven kills and a team-high 18 digs for the hosts. Slippery Rock (8-14, 4-6) struggled early in the match before finding its footing in pushing IUP to five sets. Erica Selfridge fired down 11 kills with Abaigail Koeller adding nine kills of her own.
Slippery Rock opened up an early advantage in the first set before IUP battled back with a 4-0 run that leveled the score at 16.
Caroline Walsh and Peterson had kills in the surge, prompting a Slippery Rock timeout. The initial run was part of a larger 7-1 spurt, pushing IUP in front at 20-18.
Valentic and Little combined for a stuff at the net, expanding the IUP lead to 23-19. The Crimson Hawks closed out the set with a big swing from Little for a 25-20 triumph. The Crimson Hawks hit .389 in the opening set and placed down 18 kills to open the match, with 10 of them coming from Peterson.
In the second set, IUP opened an early 5-1 advantage after a block assist from Valentic and Anagnostou. Anagnostou rocketed a pair of kills, pushing the IUP edge to 9-3. The Rock slightly narrowed the deficit with a stretch of three consecutive, slicing the score to 14-11.
IUP regained the momentum with a 3-0 run of its own, including a big kill from Little between the SRU presence at the net. Leading 19-14, Walsh fired down consecutive kills for a 21-14 advantage. The Crimson Hawks closed the frame with three of the set's final four points with an SRU service error handing IUP the 25-18 victory. Peterson had 12 kills in the initial two sets, one of three Crimson Hawks to hit .545 or better through two sets.
Slippery Rock opened with the advantage in the third set, jumping in front 5-2. Aces from Valentic and Little, along with two kills from Walsh catapulted IUP back in front at 7-6. The Rock took back control in the middle portions of the set, maintaining a narrow advantage. IUP tied the frame at 17 with a swing from Henderson, prompting a stretch of each side trading points.
Consecutive blocks from Abigail Nigon and Callie Chevalier moved the momentum back in favor of Slippery Rock, leading 23-19 after a 4-0 run. SRU used a kill to capture the third set, taking the frame 25-21. The Rock extended the match in a set that featured six ties and two lead changes.
IUP rattled off four consecutive points, aided by two SRU attack errors, for a 5-2 lead at the onset of set four. Once again, SRU closed the gap and worked the score tied at nine. Little closed a long rally with a kill, moving IUP ahead 11-10 in a tightly contested frame.
Neither side could gain much traction, trading runs before the Rock pulled the advantage to 20-18. Out of the timeout, IUP quickly knotted the score at 20 with points from Peterson via a kill and ace. It did not take long for Slippery Rock to regain momentum at 22-20, forcing IUP into a timeout. The Rock closed out the set with a block, securing a 25-20 win and forcing a decisive fifth set.
The fifth set saw IUP overcome an early deficit, moving in front 6-5 with a strike from Little. At the side switch, IUP led 8-6 after a kill from Walsh, her 13th of the night. On the outside, Anagnostou ripped a chance down for a 10-7 lead. The SRU blocking attack sliced their deficit to one at 11-10, later tying the score at 12 off an IUP attack error. Out of a timeout, Valentic laced one down the middle and tied the set at 13 before Little handed IUP a potential match point. Off a long rally, the combo of Valentic and Little blocked the ball down for an emphatic ending.
Up Next
IUP hits the road for a matchup at Edinboro on Saturday, October 15 at 4:00 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawks and @IUPVB.
