CALIFORNIA, Pa. – In a competitive conference matchup, IUP women's volleyball knocked off California (Pa.) in straight sets on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
Despite the straight-set win for IUP (11-4, 2-0), the team's seventh in a row, it did not come easily in set scores of 27-25, 25-22, 25-17. The Hawks again delivered a strong performance at the net while adding 10 aces on the night.
IUP limited Cal U (5-3, 0-1) to a negative hitting percentage in the final two sets, posted 18 combined block assists on the night. The Crimson Hawks entered the match as the leaders in NCAA DII in total blocks, anchored by balanced individual efforts from
Simay Memisoglu (6),
Lauren Valentic (5) and
Caroline Walsh (5).
Stefania Anagnostou fired down a match-high 11 kills for IUP as
Nyla Birch contributed eight.
Kat Warpinski and
Hannah Simmons once again facilitated the IUP attack, logging 15 and 12 assists each, respectively. For the Vulcans, Elisa Rugiero posted double-digit kills with 10 and Emily Buwawa notched 19 digs.
IUP had just six more kills (37-31) and one more assist (32-31), but found success in the blocking and serving game.
IUP had a balanced attack in an evenly played first set. With each side going back and forth into the 20s, Cal U utilized a timely run that pushed the Vulcans to set point. IUP responded with a spurt of its own, knotting the score at 25 to stave off set point from the Vulcans. IUP closed out the set with a block assist from Walsh and Memisoglu for the 27-25 extended set victory. Anagnostou paced IUP with five kills in the opening set, while Walsh added four of her own for IUP offensively.
IUP held the advantage early in the second set before the Vulcans took back the momentum. A five-point swing lifted Cal U to a 10-7 edge. An ace from Anagnostou, one of two on the evening, leveled the score at 15. IUP used a timely 9-2 run to close the second set, which included kills for Anagnostou, Birch and Walsh. The run gave IUP a 2-0 lead in the match with statistics and play virtually even.
IUP eventually asserted itself in the third set, riding the momentum of a two-set advantage to a quick start. Valentic smacked down an ace for a 5-1 lead before another run widened the margin to 11-6. Cal responded back, trimming the deficit to within one point at 14-13 and 15-14. The Vulcans were unable to get over the top and take a lead as IUP closed out the match with a seven-point swing. Simmons finished out the match with a service ace, providing IUP with the victory and the team's seventh win in a row.
IUP has now won three consecutive matches against the Vulcans, all 3-0 victories for the Hawks.
Up Next
IUP returns home for a highly anticipated matchup in divisional play against Clarion on Friday, September 29 at 6:00 p.m. from the KCAC.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.
