ERIE, Pa. – After taking the first two sets, IUP fell to Wheeling in a reverse three-set sweep in the NCAA Atlantic Region Semifinals, ending their 2024 season. Set scores were 25-21, 25-22, 26-28, 23-25, and 9-15.

IUP wrapped up the season with 24 wins, the PSAC Championship title, and a trip to the NCAA Atlantic Region Semifinals.

Delaney Concannon and Lauren Valentic accounted for 44.5 of IUP's 88 points. Concannon led with 22 kills while hitting .404. Valentic followed closely with 14 kills, hitting .545, and recorded eight total blocks. Nyla Birch contributed 10 kills and four blocks, while Jessica Neiman added 11 kills and six blocks. Rylee Brown was another key presence at the net with seven blocks.

IUP outpaced Wheeling with 63 kills, eight service aces, 17 blocks, 61 assists, and 88 points but struggled with 21 service errors.

IUP began the first set with an 8-2 lead from two service aces from Neiman and three blocks. Wheeling put the score within two, and the teams traded points with IUP manning the lead. A kill from Birch put the Hawks up five at 16-11. Wheeling's late 5-1 push was not enough after IUP capped off the first set with two kills from Concannon. 

IUP kept momentum in the second set, surging to a 6-1 start. Wheeling responded with a 9-2 run to pull within two. Valentic's kills helped IUP stay ahead at 17-14. A late 6-3 run, highlighted by key blocks from Neiman and another from Valentic and Heidel, secured the set for IUP.

The third set saw IUP struggle early, falling behind 7-3 with only three kills. Concannon's three kills and a service ace helped close the gap to 11-10. IUP tied the set at 21 after a Wheeling error. Despite Valentic and Concannon's late kills to tie the score four more times, Wheeling edged out the set 28-26.

The fourth set was tightly contested, with six ties up to 9-9. IUP took a 12-9 lead after a kill from Birch and back-to-back Valentic kills. The teams traded points until 18-18, when Valentic's lob to the back row forced a timeout. Charlotte Potvin's back-row kill put IUP ahead 22-21, but Wheeling capitalized on a service error and a block to take the set 25-23.

In the deciding fifth set, IUP battled back to tie at 9-9, but Wheeling finished with a decisive six-point run to claim the match.

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