INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's volleyball program advances to the PSAC semifinals after they defeated Clarion in an electrifying four-set victory, Tuesday evening at the KCAC. Set scores were 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, and 25-20.
 
IUP makes it out of the quarterfinal rut after defeating Clarion 3-1 for a chance to play in the PSAC Women's Volleyball Championship this weekend. This victory marked a turning point after back-to-back quarterfinal losses to Clarion in previous seasons, both in straight-set defeats. IUP capitalized on its momentum from a win over the Golden Eagles last week to clinch this decisive victory.
 
IUP now boosts a 21-8 overall record and rides a seven-game winning streak. The team will travel to Gannon, the host site, to conclude the PSAC Championships. IUP will matchup against Shepherd in the semifinals Friday, November 22 at 5:00 p.m. The second match of the day features Gannon and East Stroudsburg. The Championship will be played Saturday, November 23 beginning at 7:00 p.m.
 
Freshman Jessica Neiman led the charge for the Hawks after posting 16 kills and a block, while sophomore Delaney Concannon added 15 kills. Together, Neiman and Concannon accounted for 31 of the team's 54 kills. Lauren Valentic also delivered a strong performance, contributing nine kills.
 
Defensively, IUP shined with 18 total blocks. Olivia Heidel was a standout with six blocks, 45 assists, and two kills. Valentic and Rylee Brown added four blocks each to anchor the team's defensive efforts.
 
IUP began the match with a quick kill from Valentic to the back row. IUP held the lead until a kill by Clarion's Snider gave the Golden Eagles the lead at 13-12. IUP responded with five straight points with two kills coming from Concannon. The set was tied again at 20-20, but the Crimson Hawks finished strong with two kills and capitalized on Clarion's errors to take the opening set 25-20.
 
In the second, IUP tied the set at 6-6 with a kill from Brown. The teams traded points and tied the score eight times before IUP pulled away when Clarion caught a service error at 18-17. A kill from Concannon at 24-22 put the Hawks in set point. Clarion's snider responded with a kill of her own, but Concannon struck again with the set-winning kill.
 
Clarion fought back in the third set, pulling away from a 14-12 lead to win 25-20, despite a late surge from IUP.
 
The fourth set started with IUP jumping to a 5-2 lead with the help of two kills from Concannon. A huge block from Heidel and Valentic tied the score at 10-10. Clarion eased away with four kills, leading the Hawks 15-12. Neiman added three straight kills to jump their lead to three points. IUP finished off the final set with two kills, a crucial block from Valentic and Heidel, and sealed the deal with a service ace.
 
Up Next
IUP will travel to Erie, Pa. to the PSAC Championship host site at Gannon this weekend to matchup against Shepherd in the PSAC Semifinals Friday, November 22 at 5:00 p.m.

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