(Peru, Neb.) - It was a bittersweet day for the Peru State volleyball team as they celebrated Dig Pink Day, along with the honoring of their two seniors and the team's parents as they lost a five-set heartbreaker to Missouri Valley College in the first game of a triangular. However, the Bobcats responded with a sweep over AIB College (Iowa) in the last game of the night.
Missouri Valley Action
It was a long, well-fought match which featured two pretty even teams, despite the difference in records, but the Vikings prevailed in five sets 25-22, 29-31, 26-28, 25-13, 15-7. With the win, the Vikings improved to 23-2 overall and 4-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). After the loss, the Bobcats fell to 17-11 and 1-3 in the HAAC.
Bre Brandt (Papillion) led the Bobcats hitters with 15 kills while
Carrie Lierz (Holton, Kan.) finished with 13 kills.
Brittany Peterson (Orem, Utah) added seven kills while
Rachael West (El Dorado, Kan.) added five.
Courtney Jurek (Bellevue) had 25 assists with
Hope Harsh (Cassoday, Kan.) contributing 15.
Jordyn Lukasiewicz (Farwell) had two service aces in the loss while
Angie Bowers (Alda) had one.
Six Bobcats had double-digit dig totals and were led by
Mallory Hull (Morse Bluff), who finished with 25. Jurek finished with a double double in the game as she added 15, the same total as Lukasiewicz. Harsh had a double double, too, as she had 11 digs, the same as Bowers
. Brandt was the third Bobcat with a double double as she had ten digs.
Peterson came up with one of her best games blocking as she had three solo blocks and five assists. Sarah Mertens
(Lincoln) had one solo block and also had five block assists.
Lindsey Nelson (Granite Bay, Calif.) added three block assists as did Lierz. Brandt and West each contributed two block assists.
MO VALLEY BOX SCORE
AIB Action
Peru State responded well after the five-set loss to the Vikings by coming back and convincingly sweeping AIB 25-18, 25-13, 25-15. With the win, the 'Cats improved to 18-11 overall for the season while AIB fell to 4-29.
Mertens finished with a season-high 11 kills to lead a balanced Peru State attack. Peterson and Lierz each added nine kills while hitting .316 and .400 respectively. Nelson added eight kills and hit at a team-high hitting rate of .417.
Madison Sutton (Gretna) added five kills.
Paige Riza (Ravenna, Texas) had 22 set assists for an outstanding Senior Day performance. Harsh added ten assists.
Lukasiewicz again led the team in service aces as she finished with three. Bowers and Jurek each added two while
Paige Young (Gretna) added one.
Hull led the team with 11 digs while Lukasiewicz added nine. Bowers and Jurek contributed eight and seven digs respectively.
Peterson finished with two solo and one block assist while Sutton had one solo and one block assist. Nelson and Riza each were credited with one block assist.
AIB BOX SCORE
Senior Day
Prior to the start of the AIB game, the Bobcats honored their parents and recognized the two senior players and the two senior student assistants. Assisting with the coaching duties this past year have been Amanda Gilreath
(Omaha) and Natalie Wood
(North Platte).
Peterson and Riza were the two senior players honored before the game along with their parents. Peterson's parents are Brent Peterson and DeDe and Gary Calderwood and Riza's are Wade and Mindy Riza.
Upcoming Action
The Bobcats will have two HAAC matches this week with both being on the road. On Thursday, Oct. 24, the 'Cats will travel to Kansas City, Mo., to face the Avila University Eagles at 7 p.m. Presently, the Eagles are 6-19 overall and 0-5 in the HAAC.
Peru State will travel to Olathe, Kan., on Saturday, Oct. 26, to take on the MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers. The sixth-ranked Pioneers are 20-1 overall and are still perfect in HAAC play at 6-0.
