WHEELING, W.Va. – Down two sets on the road, the IUP women's volleyball team found another gear.
The Crimson Hawks rallied from a 2-0 deficit with three consecutive set victories, completing a hard-fought reverse sweep of Wheeling on Tuesday night in their final nonconference match of the regular season.
Wheeling grabbed control early with victories of 25-14 and 26-24 before IUP responded with wins of 25-23, 25-18 and 15-8 to complete the comeback and earn its 15th victory of the season.
IUP overcame a difficult start offensively, committing 13 attack errors in the opening set and 21 across the first two frames. The Crimson Hawks managed just 22 kills over those two sets before finding their rhythm.
The turning point came in the third.
Facing the possibility of a three-set loss, IUP erupted for 20 kills and battled its way to a 25-23 victory. The Crimson Hawks carried that momentum into the fourth, pulling away for a 25-18 win to force a decisive fifth set.
IUP left little doubt in the fifth, closing out the comeback with a 15-8 victory.
After hitting minus-.095 in the opening set, the Crimson Hawks rebounded to finish the match with a hitting percentage above .200. IUP also cut down on its mistakes, committing just 12 attack errors over the final three sets after totaling 21 through the first two.
Charlotte Potvin delivered the biggest offensive performance of her career, pounding a career-high 23 kills for the highest single-match total by a Crimson Hawk this season. Potvin hit .410 while adding two service aces and five block assists.
Sammy Stephens and Jessica Neiman also reached double figures in kills. Stephens tied her career high with 14 kills, matching a mark she had reached twice previously this season. She hit .370, her best hitting percentage in a match in which she has recorded 14 kills. It marked Stephens' seventh match with double-digit kills this season.
Junior Ellie Rauch directed the IUP offense with 33 assists without committing a setting error. Sophomore Maddie Zechman added 19 assists and also finished without a setting error.
Five Crimson Hawks reached double figures in digs, with Brooke Kessler and Delaney Concannon leading the way with 11 apiece.
The victory marked IUP's 15th of the season and continued the Crimson Hawks' success away from home. IUP has won eight of its first 10 road matches this season.
Seven matches remain on the regular-season schedule, with six set to be played on the IUP campus.
The extended homestand begins Friday with a change of scenery, as IUP welcomes Seton Hill to Memorial Field House for a 6 p.m. matchup. The Crimson Hawks swept the Griffins in three sets in their PSAC opener earlier this season.
