FINDLAY, Ohio – Playing a match in the morning and then not taking the court again until well into the night, the IUP women's volleyball program split a pair of matches against strong competition on Friday at the Findlay Classic.
IUP (4-4) knocked off Wayne State in four sets before falling to host Findlay in four sets as part of the nightcap.
Match One – Wayne State
After a slow start in the opening set, IUP rebounded and notched a 3-1 win against Wayne State (2-3) in the first match of the day. The Crimson Hawks took the match in set scores of 17-25, 25-23, 25-21 and 27-25, moving to 4-3 on the season.
The Crimson Hawks were particularly strong at the net in the match, collecting 13 blocks to Wayne State's two. Senior
Grace Mangapora delivered a career-high 16 kills in guiding IUP, hitting .333 on 36 total attacks. Graduate student
Caroline Walsh smacked eight kills and senior
Lauren Valentic added eight block assists.
The Hawks got stronger as the match progressed, hitting a collective .345 in the third set and .303 in the fourth set.
Wayne State opened the match with an 8-4 advantage before IUP answered back and tied the frame at nine. The run included consecutive aces from senior
Kat Warpinski before WSU pushed the lead to 18-11. A kill from freshman
Delaney Concannon proceeded a block from Valentic and Warpinski proved to be a last gasp for the Hawks in the set with Wayne State moving ahead 1-0 in the match.
After a back and forth start, Wayne State surged ahead 11-7 and 18-11. IUP responded with a 10-1 run, pushing the Hawks in front at 21-19. The big run consisted of three blocks, two aces and two kills. IUP closed out the set, leveling the match at one, with a kill from Concannon.
The Crimson Hawks took control early in the third set, racing out to a 12-3 lead. Four different players had kills in the initial IUP surge, which included two for Mangapora, before
Stefania Anagnostou widened the lead to 17-8. After a final push from Wayne State, IUP held on for a 25-21 set three victory.
Both sides traded runs in an evenly contested fourth set. Neither side could pull away despite several large surges, but IUP did just enough to collect the final two points on a match following a kill from Valentic and block assist from Valentic and junior
Nyla Birch.
Match Two – Findlay
Birch paced IUP with 13 kills as Findlay limited IUP to just a .031 hitting percentage collectively for the night. Warpinski had 27 assists and senior
Bailey Flowerdew picked up 15 digs against the Oilers.
IUP fell in set scores of 13-25, 27-25, 18-25 and 23-25.
After a lengthy delay between matches that spanned around seven hours, IUP got off to a sluggish start in the opening set. Findlay started the set strong with a 12-5 edge, remaining in control with a big final push, finishing out the set at 25-13.
IUP settled in during the second set, opening up a 6-3 lead after kills from Birch and Mangapora. Valentic slapped down a kill for an 18-14 IUP advantage before holding the slight edge for the duration off the set. After falling behind by one at 24-23, Valentic delivered another timely kill to level the set at 24. Birch sealed the second set with consecutive kills, giving her seven to that point in the match, as IUP evened the match at one with an extended 27-25 win.
Walsh placed down a kill that evened the third set at four apiece before Findlay opened up a lead off the heels of five consecutive points. The Hawks stayed within striking distance through the middle stages of the set, eventually whittling the deficit to just two at 17-15 after a block from Warpinski and Walsh. The Oilers took control late on their way to a 25-18 set triumph and a 2-1 lead in the match.
A surge of five consecutive points, highlighted by a solo block from Anagnostou, propelled IUP to a 10-9 lead in the fourth set.
Audrey Torres delivered a timely service ace for a 12-10 advantage before Valentic stretched the margin to 14-11 with her seventh kill of the evening.
Anagnostou finished off a kill following a long rally, part of a three-point run for IUP that pushed the lead to 18-14. Findlay countered with five straight and regained the lead at 21-20 as part of a competitive frame. Tied at 23, Findlay capped off the final two points for a hard-fought victory with a 25-23 triumph in the fourth set.
Up Next
IUP closes out the Findlay Classic on Saturday, September 9 against Saginaw Valley State, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawks and @IUPVB.
