GREENSBURG, Pa. — IUP (15-8, 5-4) secured a decisive victory over Seton Hill (17-4, 6-2) in a three-set sweep on Friday evening, with scores of 25-16, 25-23, and 25-19.
Entering the match as the fourth seed in the PSAC, IUP faced off against the No. 2 seed Seton Hill, a team that had lost only three games this season.
From the outset, Lauren Valentic led the Hawks, opening the match with three consecutive kills, followed by another from Simay Memisoglu. The teams exchanged points, but IUP seized control with a five-point run, stretching their lead from 8-5 to 12-5. Valentic continued to dominate, contributing five more kills to secure the first set for IUP.
In the second set, both teams continued to battle tying the score for 13 times for 26 consecutive points. A kill from Memisoglu tied the score at 13-13. SHU gained a slight edge but a kill from Valentic tied up the score once again at 16 all. The score was tied again at 23-23 and IUP was able to stay consistent with a kill from Rylee Brown, an opposing attacking error, and finished the set with a service ace from Maddie Stout.
In the third set, the teams continued to trade points until the score reached 13-13. IUP capitalized on errors from the Griffins, launching a five-point run to pull ahead at 19-16, aided significantly by Bailey Flowerdew who recorded three consecutive aces. A kill from Valentic put the Hawks at set point, and a block from Brown and Memisoglu sealed the victory in straight sets.
Overall, IUP hit a stellar .348 throughout the match with outstanding offensive performance from both Valentic and Brown. Lauren Valentic had a career night for the Hawks after hitting a .789 recording15 kills and Brown hit a .714 from 10 kills. Memisoglu and Jessica Neiman each added seven kills, with Brown contributing five blocks and Memisoglu four.
Up Next
IUP travels to Edinboro Friday, November 1, with a start time at 6:00 p.m.
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For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's volleyball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawks and @IUPVB.
