ERIE, Pa. – Trailing two sets to one, the IUP women's volleyball team battled back behind a balanced effort for a hard fought five-set victory against Gannon on Friday night inside the Highmark Events Center during the 2023 NCAA DII Atlantic Region Semifinals.
 
IUP (23-10) advances to its first Atlantic Region championship match in program history and third regional championship overall. In doing so, the Crimson Hawks knocked off a talented Gannon (27-5) squad, the two-time defending Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champions three-time defending Atlantic Region champions.GU had won 10 straight entering the night, going 7-1 in five set contests ahead of Friday's match. 
 
Battle tested all season long, IUP exacted a measure of revenge against Gannon after falling in both regular season meetings. An evenly played match statistically, IUP held a 15-8 edge in service aces. Friday's win secured IUP's deepest run in the NCAA Tournament since the 2001 season, where the Hawks dispatched St. Augustine's and Edinboro on their way to the regional final under head coach Carmine Cortazzo.
 
Stefania Anagnostou fired down a team-high 16 kills, adding 10 digs and four aces for the Crimson Hawks. Lauren Valentic fired down 12 kills on a .526 hitting percentage, adding seven total blocks.
 
Hannah Simmons posted 21 assists with Kat Warpinski adding 20 more. Simmons logged four aces and eight digs, while Simay Memisoglu came up clutch down the stretch with seven kills and seven assisted blocks. Bailey Flowerdew notched 15 digs, bringing her total to 475 on the season.
 
Hailey Koch posted 20 kills for Gannon with Journey Blevins adding 13 kills. Ali Sorenson and Sydney Wake logged five block assists each for the Knights.
 
After Gannon charged ahead to an early 9-3 lead, the Crimson Hawks slowly battled back and leveled the set at 13. IUP used a 5-0 spurt with a pair of aces from Anagnstou to force Gannon into a timeout in the opening set.
 
Neither side could gain much traction out of the Gannon timeout as the Hawks battled back to move ahead 21-20 on a GU attack error. Remaining close into the latter portions of the set, an ace from Flowerdew handed IUP a 23-22 advantage in a defensive battle. The Hawks eventually closed out the frame with a 25-22 victory on a kill from Anagnostou, her fourth of the night to go along with three aces.
 
Both sides traded blows into the second set with Gannon climbing back from a 10-7 deficit, evening the score at 11. From there, the sides went back and forth as each point either tied the score or pushed one team ahead by a point. GU grabbed some momentum with an assisted block for a 20-19 edge before IUP answered back with a kill from Anagnostou and ace from Warpinski to regain the advantage.
 
Out of the timeout, Gannon rolled off the next three points on kills from three different players for a 23-21 margin. It was part of a larger 7-2 spurt to close the set with a 25-21 victory and level the match at one.
 
The Knights rode the set two win into a fast start in the third, posting the initial five points and prompting an IUP timeout. GU remained in command of the third set at 13-3, putting up a strong effort at the net. The Hawks chipped away slowly in the third with a Memisoglu swing slicing the deficit to 14-7.
 
IUP stayed the course, getting back within 16-12 on a GU attack error. A solo block from Concannon on the left side brought IUP within 17-14, staying within striking distance before the Knights used a final charge to claim the set.
 
IUP zipped ahead 5-2 at the onset of the fourth set before the Knights answered back, knotting the frame at five apiece. IUP used a 4-0 surge in response that included kills from Nyla Birch and Memisoglu for a 9-5 edge in the fourth, later working the lead to 12-6.
 
IUP continued rolling with a 5-2 run, capped by an ace for Warpinski for a 17-9 lead. Gannon continued chipping away as IUP attempted to finish out the set, forcing a timeout with the Hawks ahead 22-15. GU continued closing the gap at 23-18, logging six of seven points before IUP called its second timeout of the set.
 
A much-needed block from Valentic preceded an ace from Concannon for a 25-19 set victory, tying the match at two. In the fifth set, GU took an early 4-3 lead after an emphatic kill from Lauren Atwell.
 
The back and forth play continued with the stakes ratcheting up. Consecutive assisted blocks and an ace from Hannah Simmons propelled IUP ahead 8-5 before the teams switched sides. Three straight points for GU whittled the deficit within 10-8 with both sides hanging on every point. A key block assist from Memisoglu and Valentic pushed IUP to a 12-8 advantage and IUP did not look back, hammering a kill from Memisoglu on the outside before Flowerdew dropped in her second ace of the night.
 
Up Next
IUP looks to win its first NCAA Regional Championship in program history, facing Clarion in a rematch of the PSAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, December 2 at 7:00 p.m. from the Highmark Events Center.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.
   

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