Jess Neiman’s 13 kills powered Indiana University of Pennsylvania to a 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 sweep of Edinboro on Friday evening at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, IUP Athletics reported. The win improved the Crimson Hawks to 21-4 overall and 12-1 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play while extending their winning streak to six matches.
Edinboro fell to 11-14 overall and 4-9 in conference play. D’Aira Whitner led the Fighting Scots with 12 kills while hitting .524.
Neiman’s Match-High 14 Points Lead Balanced IUP Attack
Neiman, a junior right-side hitter, hit .423 with just two attacking errors on 26 attempts and added two block assists to finish with a team-high 14 points. Sammy Stephens contributed nine kills at a .375 clip, and Charlotte Potvin went 6-for-17 with no attacking errors for a .353 average. Delaney Concannon added six kills and a match-high 13 digs, while Brooke Kessler chipped in 11 digs. Maddie Zechman ran the offense with 24 assists and two service aces, and Ellie Rauch added 13 assists.
As a team, IUP totaled 42 kills at a .243 hitting percentage and held Edinboro to 28 kills at .093.
How the Three Sets Unfolded
The opening set saw several early lead changes before the Crimson Hawks recorded 14 kills and closed it out 25-21. IUP matched that 14-kill output in the second set while limiting Edinboro to a .162 hitting percentage, pulling away 25-19 for a two-set lead. The third set was IUP’s strongest: the Hawks hit .310 with 14 kills and five attacking errors while holding Edinboro to a negative hitting percentage in a 25-14 finish.
Defensively, IUP finished with 44 digs and four team blocks. Mikalah Kim, Potvin and Neiman each contributed two total blocks.
Six-Game Streak Strengthens PSAC West Position
The victory marked IUP’s 21st win of the season and strengthened its standing near the top of the PSAC West. The Crimson Hawks return to the KCAC on Saturday, Nov. 07 at 6:00 PM to face Gannon, with the top two teams in the Atlantic Region NCAA Power Index rankings set to square off.
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