(Peru, Neb.) – The Peru State volleyball team saw their season record level out at .500 after losing a pair of games last Tuesday in Springfield, Mo. The Bobcats fell to Heart of America Athletic Conference foe Evangel University in the first game of the evening in five sets 26-24, 14-25, 25-10, 18-25, 7-15. Then immediately after the Evangel contest, the 'Cats fell to William Woods University 17-25, 25-27, 26-24, 21-25.
Rian Kirby and Alyssa Martin (#16) block a Williams Woods'
hit attempt with Courtney Jurek preparing defensively With the two losses, Peru State fell to 9-9 overall for the season and are 0-3 in the Heart. All three conference games have been lost in five sets to three of the top teams in the Heart.
Evangel Game Notes and Statistics The now 20
th-ranked Crusaders, who were ranked 19
th the previous week and at the time Peru State played them, got all they could handle from the Bobcats, especially in the third set when the Bobcats easily won 25-10. However, Peru State could not maintain the momentum and eventually lost its third straight conference game in five sets to Evangel which improved to 13-4 overall and 2-1 in the Heart.
Neither team had a high hitting percentage as there were many long rallies as both teams defensively kept the ball in play.
Cristal Quinonez (Anthony, N.M.) led the Bobcats with 12 kills and hit .308.
Lea Boras (Makarska, Croatia) added six kills while
Nicole Soifua (West Point, Utah), Bre Brandt (Papillion), and
Rian Kirby (Gretna) each added five.
Courtney Jurek (Bellevue) and
Kelsey Young (Goodfield, Ill.) led the team in setting with 19 and 13 assists respectively.
Young led the 'Cats with three service aces while
Meg Grose (Peoria, Ariz.) added two.
Jennifer Ostrowski (Kankakee, Ill.), Jurek, and
Jordyn Lukasiewicz (Farwell) each had one service ace.
Mallory Hull (Morse Bluff) had 24 digs to lead Peru State defensively. Jurek finished with a double-double in the game as she had 14 digs. Lukasiewicz and
Shannon Liewer (Imperial) also were in double-digit digs with 13 and 12 respectively. Young also finished with a double-double as she added ten digs.
Ostrowski had three solo blocks and Soifua was credited with two. Kirby added one solo block.
EVANGEL BOX SCORE
Carrie Lierz goes for a kill against WIlliams Woods with Mallory Hull (in blue), Shannon Liewer
(to right of Hull), Courtney Jurek (#9), and Alyssa Martin (#16) prepare to defendWilliam Woods improved to 10-8 after topping the Bobcats, but later fell to the host Crusaders. The Bobcats could not grab the second set win which could have changed the tide as they did capture the third set.
Rachael West (El Dorado, Kan.) led Peru State with nine kills in her most extensive action. Boras and Kirby each added eight kills as the kill total were spread evenly among the Peru State hitters. Brandt had seven kills will hitting .350 and Ostrowski finished with five kills and hit .333.
Shannon Liewer had 17 digs against William Woods while
Mallory Hull (in blue) had 34 Jurek and Grose handled the setting duties and finished with 18 and 15 assists respectively.
Grose led the team with two service aces with Jurek and
Alyssa Martin (Grand Island) each adding one.
Hull finished with 34 digs, a career-high in a four-set game. Liewer and Young each had 17 digs with Kirby and
Carrie Lierz (Holton, Kan.) contributing 13 and 12 respectively.
Martin led the team with two solo blocks while West, Boras, and Brandt each finishing with one solo block. Boras, Kirby, and Martin each had two block assists with Ostrowski and Brandt each having one.
WILLIAM WOODS BOX SCORE Previous Baker University Game Notes and Statistics Apparently, the Peru State sports information department was asleep on Sept. 17 as it failed to do a wrap-up on the Bobcats' game with Baker University. This was Peru State's second Heart game and it, too, like the Bobcats' first and third games, went five sets.
Peru State took the second and third sets and had an opportunity to finish it out in the fourth but could not. The Wildcats won the game 25-16, 18-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-5. Presently, Baker is 11-4 overall and 2-0 in the Heart and are receiving votes in the most recent NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
Brandt and Quinonez led Peru State with 12 kills while Lierz added ten. Soifua finished the game with seven kills.
Jurek led the team with 38 assists.
Meg Grose had two service
aces against William Woods Peru State managed to have only two service aces with Jurek and Harsh each having one.
Five Bobcats finished in double-digit digs with Hull leading the way with 22. Lukasiewicz added 20 while Jurek finished with a double-double by adding 15 digs. Liewer and
Hope Harsh (Cassoday, Kan.) had 12 and 11 respectively.
Soifua had four solo blocks while Brandt finished with three. Lierz added one solo block. Soifua, Jurek, and Martin each had two block assists while Lierz and Quinonez each had one block assist.
BAKER BOX SCORE Upcoming Games Peru State will have three games this weekend as they participate in the York College Tournament in York, Neb. On Friday night, the 'Cats will take on Bethel College (Kan.) at 5 p.m. on Friday. Currently, the Threshers are 6-10.
On Saturday, the Bobcats will play the hosts at noon and finish the day against Central Christian College (Kan.) at 2 p.m. The Panthers are presently 2-11 while the Tigers are 4-9. Both York and Central Christian are former conference opponents of Peru State's when the Bobcats were in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC).
The 'Cats will be back in the Al Wheeler Activity Center on Tuesday, Sept. 30, for another Heart match-up. The 8-7 MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers will be the opponent. Currently, the Pioneers are 2-0 in the Heart.
