INDIANA, Pa. – The Kutztown University volleyball team nearly erased a one-set deficit twice, but a late rally by Indiana (Pa.) in the fourth set denied the potential comeback as the Golden Bears dropped their opening match of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) season 18-25, 25-22, 17-25, 24-26 on Friday night at the Kovalchick Center.

KU (3-9, 0-1 PSAC) was up 19-15 in the fourth and even had a set point as it looked to force the decisive fifth. Indiana (10-2, 1-0) would take six of the next seven points though, going ahead 21-20 before the two teams traded four ties. The Golden Bears' set point came after a Zandria Zielinski (York, Pa./York Catholic) kill made the score 24-23, but the Crimson Hawks took the final three points to secure the victory.
 
Reigning PSAC Southeast Division Athlete of the Week Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)) led Kutztown with 16 kills, adding 11 digs for her 11th double-double in 12 matches.
 
Zielinski and Jessica Howe (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) added eight kills each. No other Golden Bear had more than three.
 
Freshman Sophie Kerschner (Clinton, N.J./North Hunterdon) registered her second consecutive match with double-digit digs, leading KU with a season-high 17. Madison Brake (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) was right behind her with 13 as she moved into fourth place in program history with 1,487 for her career.
 
Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) had a match-high 35 assists.
 
Alexis Anderson and Natalie Cignetti paced IUP with 20 and 17 kills, respectively. The two each recorded eight digs and Anderson led all players with five service aces.
 
Jess Marut had a match-high 23 digs.
 
Indiana more than doubled up Kutztown in both service aces, 11-5, and blocks, 5-2. The Crimson Hawks outhit the Golden Bears .234-.138, including swinging .455 in the fourth set.
 
Kerschner had back-to-back service aces in a 6-1 run that erased an early 6-3 deficit in the first, with a Moyer kill and Indiana attack error giving KU a 9-7 lead. IUP came right back with the next seven points though and were in control the rest of the way after Anderson's third service ace in the stretch gave the Crimson Hawks a 14-9 advantage.
 
Trailing by as many as six, 9-3, early in the setcond, Kutztown stormed back to tie it at 10 before it took its first lead at 20-19 with a 5-1 flurry. Following an Indiana error, Zielinski followed a Howe kill with back-to-back kills before Howe capped the run with yet another kill. The Crimson Hawks responded by momentarily going back on top, 21-20, but the Golden Bears would take five of the final six points. A Moyer kill made it 23-21, with all four of the other points coming on IUP errors.
 
KU grabbed momentum early in the third, with a Howe kill making the score 4-1, but after four ties, Indiana broke a 9-9 deadlock with a 5-1 surge to take the lead for good. Three different Crimson Hawks tallied a kill during the stretch, which was capped by Anderson's service ace, and the Golden Bears could not manage to get closer than three the remainder of the set.
 
KU completes its western Pennsylvania road swing tomorrow, Sept. 23, at Clarion, taking on the preseason favorites from the Southwest division at 1 p.m.