ERIE, Pa. — Despite a strong start, IUP women's volleyball endured a reverse sweep at the hands of Gannon in a 3-2 setback to the Golden Knights on Friday night at the Highmark Events Center. Set scores were 25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 22-25, 13-15.
IUP (13-6, 3-2) opened the match with a quick 2-0 lead before Gannon (12-3, 4-1) battled back, forcing a fifth set. Friday's loss for IUP marked the ninth straight setback to Gannon, which has been a power in the conference and region for multiple years. IUP set itself up for success throughout the evening, unable to find a finishing touch against a Gannon squad that won its third match in a row.
IUP has fallen short in a pair of five-set battles against division standard-bearers Clarion and Gannon over seven-day span.
Simay Memisoglu carried IUP offensively on the night, particularly in the early sets, finishing with a career-high 16 kills on a torrid .364 hitting percentage. Elsewhere for IUP,
Delaney Concannon dropped in a career-high 16 kills.
Kat Warpinski and
Hannah Simmons put up nearly identical assist numbers, posting 24 and 23, respectively.
Bailey Flowerdew played an outstanding match with 21 digs and an ace. IUP held the edge in kills (63-55), aces (11-8) and digs (76-75).
For Gannon, Journey Blevins registered 18 kills with Hailey Koch adding 11 more. Emma Hall had 20 digs with three aces for the Golden Knights, which had 14.0 total blocks on the night.
In a back and forth start to the first set,
Lauren Valentic smacked down a kill for an early 5-4 IUP advantage. The Knights converted on offense and leveled the set at nine as IUP stayed the course by trading points. Memisoglu collected five kills on her initial five attempts as IUP pulled ahead slightly at 19-17 in the first set.
Memisoglu added a solo block out of the timeout, helping the Hawks build some momentum and roll to a 25-20 set victory. Memisoglu dropped in seven kills (eight attacks) during the opening set for IUP, which closed out the frame with nine of the last 12 points.
IUP took a quick 4-3 lead on a kill from
Delaney Concannon, part of a four-point swing for a 7-3 advantage. Valentic dropped in an emphatic kill as IUP continued dictating the set at 10-4. Gannon charged back within four points, trailing 13-9, prompting an IUP timeout.
The Hawks squandered the Gannon charge out of the timeout, expanding its second set lead to 17-10. Consecutive service aces from
Hannah Simmons pushed IUP to a 21-12 advantage. Memisoglu continued her outstanding night with back-to-back kills that closed out the set at 25-16.
The Hawks used another strong start in the third set, opening up a 7-4 lead with kills from Concannon,
Nyla Birch and Valentic. The Knights battled back and evened the set at nine before taking a one-point lead in the next rally. Gannon remained in front with a slim lead of 15-12 before widening the margin to 18-13. The Knights held off an IUP sweep with a 25-21 set victory.
IUP capped off an exciting rally with a kill, zipping ahead 6-3 in the fourth set. The Knights countered back with four consecutive points, securing a 7-6 lead. IUP reset and found Birch on the right side for a kill, part of a five-point stretch for a 14-12 edge.
Caroline Walsh fired in her sixth kill of the evening as IUP surged ahead 19-15.
Gannon battled back and leveled the fourth set at 22, turning momentum in its favor before taking a lead at 23-22 behind a Lauren Atwell kill. The Knights eventually finished out the set at 25-22, forcing a deciding fifth frame.
Stefania Anagnostou dropped in consecutive aces at the onset of the fifth set, part of a strong start as IUP led 4-1. A theme throughout the matchup, Gannon answered back, knotting the set at six. The Knights won the race to eight as the teams switched sides, before IUP whittled its deficit to one (10-9) on an attack error.
Concannon delivered an ace for an 11-10 lead but Gannon swiftly regained control at 13-12 on a Journey Blevins swing. GU closed out the match with a block at the net, securing the match with a 15-13 set win.
Up Next
IUP is back in action with a quick turnaround tomorrow (October 7) at Edinboro for a noon start.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.
