(Peru, Neb.) – After suffering a minor setback Friday night when the Bobcats played with little fire, the Peru State volleyball team came back with a vengeance Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for the visiting Clarke (Iowa), the 'Cats played some of their best ball of the year and easily handled the Crusaders for a Homecoming victory.
 
Peru State won 25-15, 25-17, 25-15 to improve to 23-4 overall and 6-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Clarke fell to 15-5 and 1-1 in conference play.

 
First Set Action
 
The Crusaders actually jumped out to a 3-0 led before Brooke Rudebusch (Moorpark, Calif.) put down a kill coming off an assist from Gianna Gangi (Simi Valley, Calif.). The teams battled with each other early and it wasn't until a kill by Jhessica Martins (Uberlandia, Brazil) tied it at 6-6. After trading rallies, the Bobcats took the lead for good on a Crusader serving error. Peru State slowly pulled away and eventually led by ten at 23-13 after Martins put down a kill off an assist from Rudebusch. A kill by Jennifer Ostrowski (Kankakee, Ill.) from Rudebusch gave the 'Cats the first set win.
 
Second Set Action
 
The second set started in a similar way with Clarke going up 3-0 again before Kira Shapiro (Omaha) got a kill off the assist from Rudebusch. Later, the Bobcats would tie it at 5-5 and then went ahead on an error by the Crusaders. After trailing 10-8, Clarke rattled off four straight points to go up 12-10. The teams would eventually be tied at 12-12, 13-13, and 14-14 before another Shapiro/Rudebusch combination broke the tie and put the Bobcats in the lead for good. A Yorgelys Jaspe (San Carlos, Venezuela) kill coming from Cristina Viera (Montevideo, Uruguay) was the final point of the second set.
 
Third Set Action
 
The third set was tied at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, and 4-4 before Shapiro put down a set from Rudebusch to put Peru State in front for what would be the last time in the set. A service ace by Viera gave the Bobcats the sweep and their sixth conference win.
 
Statistics
 
The Bobcats prevailed in all aspects of the team statistics including out-hitting the Crusaders .375 to .149.
 
Three Bobcats finished with double-digit kills and were led by Jaspe who had 12 kills while hitting .435. Martins added 11 kills and hit .450 while Shapiro also had 11 kills.
 
Rudebusch led all setters with 30 game-high assists. In addition, Rudebusch had a match-high three service aces. Shapiro added two aces while Jaspe and Viera each had one.
 
Viera led the defense with 17 digs while Jaspe had eight and Rudebusch seven.
 
Ostrowski led the team with one solo blocks and five block assists. Rudebusch, Shapiro, and Martins each had two block assists while Nadja Janjevic (Podgorica, Montenegro) had one block assist.

CLARKE GAME BOOK
 
Upcoming Games
 
Peru State will play six games this week with the first two being home and conference contests. On Tuesday, the Bobcats will host Avila from Kansas City, Mo. Game time with the 9-10, 0-4 Eagles is 7 p.m.
 
On Thursday, the 'Cats will host Evangel University from Springfield, Mo., at noon for Middle School Appreciation Day. The Crusaders are 15-7 overall and are 3-1 in Heart play.
 
Friday and Saturday, Peru State will be participating in a double tri-match in Denver and will play both Johnson and Wales, the hosts, and St. Francis (Ind.) as a team pulled out of the tournament in August. On Friday, Peru State will play Johnson & Wales at noon and then play St. Francis at 3 p.m. On Saturday, they will face St. Francis at 3 p.m. and then take on the hosts at 6 p.m. Johnson & Wales is currently 11-16 on the year while St. Francis is 3-15.