INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's volleyball team pushed its winning streak to five matches with a pair of victories on Saturday at the 2023 Crimson Hawk Classic Presented by the Hilton Garden Inn at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
IUP (9-4) knocked off Jefferson to begin the day before sweeping Frostburg State in front of an energized crowd.
 
Match One – Jefferson
IUP held a 17-3 edge in blocks for the match on its way to a four-set win in the initial match of the day against Jefferson.
 
Stefania Angnostou continued a stellar weekend with 16 kills, three aces and eight digs for the Hawks. Nyla Birch added 13 kills and six total blocks, while hitting .367 for the afternoon. Bailey Flowerdew posted 24 digs and Kat Warpinski handed out 28 assists.
 
IUP began the match with a 6-1 surge early, later pushing the lead to 22-9. A 10-1 spurt that included a kill and ace for Anagnostou helped IUP take control in the opening set. Birch added a kill and Hannah Simmons added an ace for set point, which IUP won at 25-11.
 
Jefferson claimed an extended second set that was close for large portions of the stanza. A three-point swing evened the set at 24 and Birch knotted the score at 26 with a kill. Consecutive Jefferson kills from Kordan Kalen and Emily McKenna handed the set to the Rams.
 
A run of six consecutive points pushed momentum back in favor of IUP early in the third set. Another key run, this time a 9-1 IUP rally included a pair of kills for Birch and kill from Delaney Concannon, carried the hosts to a 22-9 advantage. IUP later closed out the set at 25-13 for a 2-1 edge in the match.
 
Another early push game IUP an advantage it would not relinquish in the match-deciding fourth set. Consecutive kills from Anagnostou pushed IUP ahead 20-13 and Caroline Walsh eventually sealed the victory with a kill.
 
Match Two – Frostburg
IUP hit .467 in the second set as part of an all-around effort in a sweep of Frostburg State.
 
Grace Mangapora led the charge with eight kills, while Birch had seven and Lauren Valentic chipped in five more. Valentic added four blocks, while Kat Warpinski logged 17 assists.
 
A five-point first set push lifted IUP to an early lead, taking control after kills from Mangapora, Simay Memisoglu and Anagnostou. Frostburg State trimmed its deficit back to just two at 12-10 before six consecutive points lifted the Hawks ahead by double digits. IUP withstood a final seven-point push from the Bobcats, closing the set out with a Walsh kill.
 
IUP jumped ahead 7-1 to open the second set and widened the margin to 21-10 on a kill from Mangapora. Valentic smacked down the final kill of the set as IUP took a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Five consecutive points played into a larger 9-1 spurt for the Crimson Hawks into the third set, taking control at 19-7 with a stretch of kills from Concannon, Mangapora and Birch. IUP closed out the sweep on a service error for a 25-15 triumph.
 
Up Next
IUP begins Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play on Tuesday, September 19, hosting Mercyhurst at the KCAC for a 6:00 p.m. first serve.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawks and @IUPVB.

 

 

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