(Peru, Neb.) – After earning their first ranking in 14 years in the NAIA Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the Bobcats of Peru State did not take their 25^th ranking lightly. They easily handled the Eagles of Avila (Mo.) 25-15, 25-13, 25-17.
 
Peru State improved to 24-4 overall and 7-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) while the Eagles fell to 9-11 overall and 0-5 in conference action.

 
First Set Action
 
Peru State scored the first two points of the first set on kills by Yorgelys Jaspe (San Carlos, Venezuela) on assists from Brooke Rudebusch (Moorpark, Calif.). The 'Cats never trailed in the set even though the Eagles kept it close until after the 7-6 point. The Bobcats pulled away at that point and took the first set after Avila had an attack error to give Peru State their 25^th point.
 
Second Set Action
 
The 'Cats jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the set which included kills by Jaspe and Kira Shapiro (Omaha) on assists from Rudebusch. Rudebusch would also add a service ace to help start Peru State off. Once again, Peru State never trailed in the set which ended with a setting error by the Eagles.
 
Third Set Action
 
As was the case in the first two sets, Peru State jumped out to a lead in the third set. However, this time it was a 7-0 lead before the Eagles got on the board. The 'Cats maintained a similar lead throughout the set while having many different players on the court. A kill by Alex Bowman (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) on an assist from Samantha Hinrichs (Ankeny, Iowa) was the final point of the set and match.
 
Game Statistics
 
The Bobcats nearly hit at their normal rate while finishing with a .253 hitting clip while holding Avila to a negative hitting percentage at -.009.
 
No Bobcat was in double-digit in kills as Shapiro led all hitters with nine kills while hitting .318. Shapiro led all hitters with nine kills while hitting .318. Rian Kirby (Gretna) and Alex Bowman (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) each added five kills with Bowman hitting at a .455 clip.

 
Rudebusch had a game-high 19 assists while Hinrichs added six.
 
Rudebusch also had two service aces with Gianna Gangi (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Cristina Viera (Montevideo, Uruguray) each adding one.
 
Viera had a match-high 18 digs with Jaspe adding nine and Rudebusch contributing seven.
 
Nadja Janjevic (Podgorica, Montenegro) led the team with one solo and two block assists. Jennifer Ostrowski (Kankakee, Ill.) added six blocks assists while Shapiro added three as did Bowman.
 
AVILA GAME BOOK

Upcoming Matches
 
The 'Cats will host Evangel (Mo.) on Thursday at noon. The Crusaders are currently 15-8 overall and are 4-1 in the Heart.
 
Shortly after Thursday's match, the Bobcats will load the bus and head to Denver to play a double tri-match at Johnson & Wales University. On Friday, Peru State will play the hosts at noon and then follow with a match at 3 p.m. against Saint Francis (Ind.). Johnson & Wales is presently 11-16 overall and St. Francis is 3-15. On Saturday, the Bobcats will play St. Francis at 3 p.m. and then play the hosts at 6 p.m. Westmont (Calif.) pulled out of this weekend just prior to the season starting, thus the double tri-match format.
 
On Tuesday, Oct. 11, Peru State will return to Heart action when they travel to Fayette, Mo., where they will take on Central Methodist at 7 p.m. Currently, the Eagles are 23-3 overall and are 5-0 in conference action.