GREENSBURG, Pa. – IUP women's volleyball took care of business in a straight-set victory against Seton Hill on Friday night inside the McKenna Center.
IUP (17-5, 7-4) won its third consecutive meeting with Seton Hill (14-9, 4-7) with Friday's sweep. The Crimson Hawks dealt with some inconsistent play at times, but stayed the course despite a valiant effort from the Griffins. IUP posted 10 straight-set victories this season.
Brooke Little smacked a match-high 11 kills, with
Lauren Valentic adding eight.
Nicole Peterson and
Caroline Walsh registered six kills each, while
Leah Henderson handed out 29 assists. Defensively,
Bailey Flowerdew posted 10 digs.
Elizabeth Kolkowski and Paige Cole paced the SHU attack with seven kills each. Abby Osterling had two digs and nine assists for the Griffins.
IUP outpaced Seton Hill at the onset of the first set, jumping ahead 9-5 before the hosts narrowed the gap.
Grace Mangapora dropped in a service ace for an 8-4 IUP advantage, later adding consecutive kills for a 13-9 edge. An 9-2 spurt provided IUP with some breathing room at 19-11, which included three kills from Little. The Crimson Hawks remained in front, withstanding some sloppy play, for a 25-20 victory. Despite six errors, IUP hit at a .320 clip for the set and received six kills from Little.
The Crimson Hawks carried the momentum into the second set, opening up a 6-0 edge with contributions throughout the lineup. Walsh laced a kill for a 9-2 lead, dropping in another for an 11-3 advantage. The Griffins chipped away slightly before
Nicole Peterson posted her third ace of the night, helping IUP widen its margin. The Crimson Hawks moved ahead 22-13, prompting a SHU timeout. Valentic delivered five kills in the set, which IUP took 25-20 after holding off a late push from the Griffins. SHU rattled off five of the final six points, but had just seven kills in the set.
IUP once again benefited from a quick start in the third set, placing the Griffins on their heels with a 7-2 lead early on. The Crimson Hawks kept their foot on the gas, racing ahead 13-4 after a service ace from Mangapora. From there, Seton Hill battled to get back into the set, whittling the deficit down throughout the frame. Both sides traded points with IUP remaining in front, jumping ahead 21-16 on a kill from Henderson. Again, Seton Hill would not go quietly, trailing at 23-20. Little capped the match with a kill for a hard-fought 25-21 set victory. The Crimson Hawks hit .152 in the third set, battling a charging Seton Hill squad to close out the match on the road.
IUP entered the slate of back-to-back matches in fourth place in the PSAC West standings, looking to keep pace with Edinboro in third. Clarion and Gannon have pulled ahead as the top two seeds in the PSAC West with the regular season winding down.
Up Next
IUP is back in action on Saturday, October 22 for a road clash at California (Pa.). First serve is set for noon.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.
