(Peru, Neb.) – Two quick sweeps of their opponents in a tri-match in McPherson, Kan., gave the Peru State volleyball team their 22
nd and 23
rd wins of the season. This tops last year's mark of 21 wins and is the most since 2002 when the Bobcats won 28 games.
The Bobcats opened with a 25-8, 25-16, 25-13 victory over Central Baptist University (Mo.). Then, after a short break, Peru State came back to sweep the hosts 25-16, 25-12, 25-23.
This gave the 'Cats an eight-game winning streak, the longest since the 2002 season.
At the net, the Bobcats had 32 blocks in the two games. Rian Kirby (10), Nicole Soifua (4), and
Rachael West (2) put put a triple block while Courtney Jurek (9) prepares for defensePeru State hit an outstanding .395 against Central Baptist while sweeping to a 25-8, 25-16, 25-13 victory.
No Bobcat was in double figures with kills as
Lea Boras (Makarska, Croatia) led the team with eight kills while hitting .538. Boras only had 13 swings and one error.
Nicole Soifua (West Point, Utah) added seven kills on nine attempts with one error for a .667 hitting percentage.
Jennifer Ostrowski (Kankakee, Ill.) and
Bre Brandt (Papillion) each had five kills.
Meg Grose (Peoria, Ariz.) led the team with 16 assists while
Courtney Jurek (Bellevue) contributed 14.
Grose, Jurek, and Brandt each had three service aces while
Jordyn Lukasiewicz (Farwell) added one service ace.
Mallory Hull (Morse Bluff) had ten digs while playing in only two sets.
Shannon Liewer (Imperial) added eight digs, also only playing in two sets. Brandt contributed seven digs.
Rachael West (El Dorado, Kan.) had the only solo block, but Peru State had 14 block assists. Soifua added four block assists while Ostrowski, Boras, and
Carrie Lierz (Holton, Kan.) each had two block assists. West, Brandt,
Rian Kirby (Gretna), and
Alyssa Martin (Grand Island) each had one block assist.
Nicole Soifua (4) hit over .600 in both games. Also in photo are to the right of Soifua - Meg
Grose, Mallory Hull (in pink), and Rachael West.Soifua was on fire again in the second game as she finished with ten kills on just 13 swings with only one error and finished hitting a remarkable .692. Kirby added eight kills and hit .400 with Brandt finishing with seven kills and hit .333. West added six kills and hit .417.
Grose and Jurek both finished with 16 assists.
Liewer led the team with two service aces while Hull, Jurek, and Grose each added one.
Hull led the team with 13 digs while Grose finished with a double-double on the day as she had ten digs.
Hope Harsh (Cassoday, Kan.) added nine digs.
No one was credited with a solo block, but the team registered 17 block assists. Ostrowski finished with five while Soifua and Kirby each had three. Finishing with two block assists were
Lindsey Nelson (Granite Bay, Calif.) and Lierz while Boras and Brandt each had one.
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN BOX SCORE Upcoming Games The Bobcats have just three regular season games left. Two of those games are conference contests with one non-conference remaining on the schedule.
On Thursday, Oct. 30, the Bobcats will travel to Lamoni, Iowa, to face the Graceland University Yellowjackets at 7 p.m. Currently, Graceland is 20-7 overall and 4-3 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. They are just one game ahead of the Bobcats in the standings.
On Halloween, the 'Cats will host Grace University in their final home game of the season. It will be Senior Night and also, the Student Athlete Advisory Council will be hosting a costume contest. Game time with the 9-18 Royals is 7 p.m.
The following Tuesday Peru State will travel to Marshall, Mo., to face Missouri Valley College. Presently, the Vikings are tied with the Bobcats in conference play and are 18-13 overall. They will face league-leading MidAmerica Nazarene University prior to playing the 'Cats.
