SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – IUP volleyball rolled through its PSAC Crossover competition Friday, sweeping both Shepherd and Millersville as the Crimson Hawks played the minimum six sets during their trip to Shepherd University.
IUP opened the day with a straight-set victory over host Shepherd before following with another dominant performance against Millersville.
IUP 3, Shepherd 0
The opening match served as a rematch of last season's PSAC Tournament first round, when IUP swept Shepherd at the KCAC in November.
The result was the same Friday, with the Crimson Hawks taking down the Rams, 25-18, 25-20 and 25-14.
IUP controlled the attack with 49 kills, 23 more than Shepherd. Sophomore Sammy Stephens led the way with 12 kills, marking her fourth match of the season in double figures. Stephens' career high remains 14 kills, set earlier this season against Wayne State.
Kyra Schmidt and Jessica Neiman followed with nine kills apiece.
The Crimson Hawks dished out 45 assists, their most in a three-set match this season. Ellie Rauch and Maddie Zechman recorded 17 assists apiece.
Zechman also led IUP from the service line with four of the team's eight aces.
IUP hit a season-best .294 in the victory. The Crimson Hawks entered the weekend ranked fourth in the PSAC in hitting percentage.
The Crimson & Gray also recorded 64 points, their most in a three-set match this season. IUP leads the PSAC at 17.79 points per set.
IUP 3, Millersville 0
IUP continued its dominant play in the second match, sweeping Millersville, 25-11, 25-14 and 25-17.
The Crimson Hawks' 14-point victory in the opening set marked their largest margin of victory in a set this season.
Peyton Belcher led the IUP attack with a season-high eight kills. Stephens added six, giving her 18 kills across the two matches and six sets Friday.
IUP continued to distribute the ball efficiently, recording 43 assists against the Marauders, just two shy of its season-high three-set total set earlier in the day. The Crimson Hawks finished the crossover with 88 assists across six sets, an average of 14.7 per set.
The Crimson Hawks also controlled the service line, finishing with 10 aces compared to two for Millersville.
Zechman once again led the way, recording five aces to bring her total to nine across the two matches.
Up Next
IUP returns to action Friday, Sept. 18, traveling to Greensburg to face Seton Hill and a familiar face in first-year head coach Cass Snider.
Snider previously served as a graduate assistant with the IUP volleyball program before taking over the Griffins last spring.
First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
