Slippery Rock University Athletics

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University volleyball team lost a home Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division match to Indiana University (Pa.) in four sets Friday at Morrow Field House.
 
The Rock took the opening set from the Crimson Hawks, 25-22, but IUP rallied back with consecutive 25-15, 25-22, 25-14 set victories to earn its ninth consecutive win.
 
Friday's result moves Slippery Rock's record to 5-8 overall and 0-2 inside the PSAC West, while the visiting Crimson Hawks improved their record to 10-3 overall and 2-0 league matches.
 
SRU's attack featured Marley Annis recording a team-best eight kills, with Victoria Nalbach chipping in six kills and the trio of Emry Rumbaugh, Hayden Deming and Ava Haynes all tallying five kills. Deming (.357) and Nalbach (.286) both achieved their kill totals via stellar attack percentages.
 
In addition to distributing a Rock-best 16 assists, setter Paityn Krause also served a season-high three aces. Krause is now just nine assists away from reaching the 1,000-assist plateau, a feat just 13 other SRU setters have accomplished.
 
Freshman Emily Loeffler added 10 assists and one ace. Nalbach accounted for The Rock's other ace. Krause, Loeffler and Nalbach combined to match SRU's third-highest ace output of the season.
 
Defensively, Haynes (11) and Kara Pasquale (10) each logged double-digit dig nights. Chloe Shirk led the way up front with two blocks (one solo / one assisted). Rumbaugh and Deming had one block apiece as well.
 
IUP concluded the match holding advantages over SRU in attack percentage (.314 / .077), kills (62-34), digs (65-60) and total blocks (11-3). Both teams served five aces.
 
Slippery Rock found itself in five-point hole midway through the opening set (16-11) before trading points with IUP, giving way to a 20-16 Crimson Hawk advantage. Undeterred by the deficit, SRU proceeded to go on a 6-2 run to pull the match into a 22-22 tie. Rumbaugh had two kills over the run.
 
The Rock finished out the 25-22 comeback victory in the opener by taking the final three points by way of an Annis kill, a block assist by Deming and Shirk and finally an Indiana attack error. Nalbach led all athletes with four kills in the first set.
 
However, Slippery Rock couldn't re-capture the magic of its first set win through the remainder of the night. IUP played its way out to a 16-8 lead in the second set en route to evening the match with a 25-15 win.
 
The third set was a tightly contested game in which neither team were able to grow a lead to more than three points for the majority of the set before a quick 3-1 run by Indiana gave the visitors a 24-20 advantage that they would parlay into a 25-22 go-ahead victory.
 
Slippery Rock was unable to find its collective footing in the fourth set as Indiana claimed 18 of the opening 27 points to take a lead it never came close relinquishing in the eventual 25-14 match-deciding victory.
 
Charlotte Potvin led IUP with 14 kills (.636) and eight blocks (four solo / four assisted).
 
Slippery Rock returns to competition Saturday at Pitt-Johnstown. The Rock and Mountain Cats are set for a noon start.






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