INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP Crimson Hawks staged an impressive comeback to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory over Pitt-Johnstown on Tuesday night, with set scores of 11-25, 25-14, 25-23, 17-25, and 15-10.
 
Both teams entered the match with 3-2 records in the conference, but IUP improved to 14-6 overall and 4-2 in the PSAC, while UPJ fell to 15-4 overall and 3-3 in the PSAC. With this victory, the Crimson Hawks now rank third in the conference, while the Mountain Cats sit in fifth.
 
IUP struggled initially, losing the first set 25-11. However, they rebounded strongly in the second set, winning 25-14 with a hitting percentage of .391 with 11 kills. The Hawks surged ahead with a seven-point run, taking a commanding 13-4 lead. Despite UPJ's efforts to close the gap, IUP maintained control and finished the set 25-14.
 
The third set was a back-and-forth battle, with teams trading points throughout. In the decisive fifth set, each with two kills from Lauren Valentic, Simay Memisoglu, and Jessica Neiman propelled IUP to a 15-10 win.
 
Valentic had a standout performance posting a remarkable .429 hitting percentage with 12 kills, a season high for her. Neiman followed closely with 11 kills, while both Memisoglu and Peyton Belcher contributed 10 each. Rylee Brown and Neiman each recorded five blocks, with Valentic adding three.
 
Up Next
IUP travels to Clarion Friday night, October 18 for a 4:00 p.m. PSAC matchup.

Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPathletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPVB.