INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's volleyball team opened its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament run with an impressive offensive performance Wednesday evening, sweeping East Stroudsburg in straight sets (25-12, 25-16, 26-24) at Memorial Field House.
The Crimson Hawks improved to 22-5 overall, advancing to the PSAC semifinals behind a balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive presence at the net. IUP finished the match hitting .384, recording 44 kills against just 11 attacking errors.
Senior Delaney Concannon led the Crimson Hawks with a match-high 17 kills, hitting .333 while adding five digs and three block assists. Sammy Stephens followed with 14 kills on a .478 hitting percentage, committing just three errors on 23 attempts. Stephens also contributed five block assists.
Senior Mikalah Kim anchored IUP's defensive effort at the net, recording a match-high eight total blocks, including one solo block, while adding three kills on four attempts.
Setter Ellie Rauch directed the Crimson Hawks' offense with 31 assists, five digs and a service ace. Brooke Kessler collected a team-high nine digs, while Lexi McLanahan added seven.
IUP wasted little time establishing control, delivering one of its most efficient offensive sets of the season in the opening frame. The Crimson Hawks recorded 15 kills on 23 attempts with just one error, hitting .609 en route to a commanding 25-12 victory.
The Crimson Hawks continued their offensive success in the second set, again recording 15 kills while committing just two attacking errors. IUP hit .565 in the frame, limiting East Stroudsburg to a .000 hitting percentage to take a 2-0 advantage with a 25-16 victory.
East Stroudsburg responded with its strongest effort of the match in the third set, pushing IUP into extra points. The Crimson Hawks battled through the tightly contested frame before securing a 26-24 victory to complete the sweep.
IUP held a 44-27 advantage in kills, a 37-23 edge in digs and a 10-6 advantage in total team blocks. The Crimson Hawks also limited East Stroudsburg to a .076 hitting percentage.
Charlotte Potvin added four kills, two service aces and two block assists, while Kyra Schmidt contributed four kills on nine attempts.
East Stroudsburg (18-11) was led by Rylee Ruggiero with seven kills, while Jadyn Orava added six. Kyra Bishop recorded 19 assists and seven digs for the Warriors.
The victory sends IUP into the PSAC semifinals, continuing the Crimson Hawks' pursuit of a conference championship under head coach Avery Moore.
IUP will return to action Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the second PSAC semifinal match of the day at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC). The Crimson Hawks will look to advance to Sunday's PSAC championship match, scheduled for 1 p.m. at the KCAC.
