ERIE, Pa. – IUP women's volleyball dropped an extended first set and could not recover in a 3-0 setback to perennial conference power Gannon on Saturday afternoon at the Highmark Events Center.
IUP falls to 15-4 and 5-3 in the league, while Gannon improves to 13-1 and 7-1 in PSAC play. The Crimson Hawks were limited to a .144 hitting percentage and
Caroline Walsh leading the charge with six kills.
Lauren Valentic and
Brooke Little had five kills each for IUP, while
Nicole Peterson notched 11 digs. Maddie Blake placed down a match-high 20 kills for the Lady Knights. Bengisu Arslan had 41 assists with Anja Vranic dropping in four aces.
A five-point surge pushed Gannon in front at 11-7 in the opening set. The Crimson Hawks battled back with a kill from
Leah Henderson knotting the score at 18. IUP held off set point three times, brining the score even at 24, before Maggie Greenfield and Maddie Blake closed out the frame for Gannon.
The Knights began the second set with a 9-3 run, later expanding the lead to 12-4. A stretch of kills coming from
Stefania Anagnostou and Walsh brought the Crimson Hawks to within single digits, but the momentum was short lived as Gannon closed out the set by a 25-16 score.
Gannon stormed out of the gates in the third set, picking up leads of 13-5 and 20-6. A run of three out of four points narrowed the IUP deficit to 21-9. Blake closed out the match with a kill for Gannon, ending the set at 25-10.
Peterson and
Bailey Flowerdew logged 11 digs each for IUP. The Crimson Hawks have not defeated Gannon since November 2015.
Up Next
IUP looks to bounce back at home, hosting Slippery Rock on Friday, October 14 for a 6:00 p.m. matchup inside the KCAC.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawks and @IUPVB.
