(Peru, Neb.) – A delayed start to the match due to senior night at Graceland (Iowa) and then fire alarms in the fourth set were not too much for the Peru State volleyball team to overcome Tuesday night. While the challenges did almost derail the Bobcats in the first four sets, Peru State found themselves down 11-6 in the fifth set before coming through with a miraculous comeback to win 15-12.
 
The 'Cats topped the host Yellowjackets 23-25, 25-14, 16-25, 29-27, 15-12 to win their 32^nd match of the season. Peru State improved to 10-3 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) and finished fourth in the conference after the regular season. Graceland fell to 15-16 overall and 4-9 in the Heart.

 
First Set Action
 
Graceland used its senior night festivities to propel them to a first set win. The Yellowjackets led by as many as four a couple of different times with the latest coming at 22-18. At that point, the 'Cats staged a comeback which started with a setter dump by Brooke Rudebusch (Moorpark, Calif.). An attack error by the 'Jackets followed to make it 22-20. Kira Shapiro (Omaha) came up with a kill on an assist from Rudebusch to get the Bobcats within one. Yorgelys Jaspe (San Carlos, Venezuela) put down a kill on an assist from Alex Bowman (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) to tie it at 22-22. The Shapiro/Rudebusch combination actually put Peru State in front before Graceland scored the final three points to win 25-23.
 
Second Set Action
 
After it was tied at 2-2, Peru State went on a five-point run that started with a kill by Jhessica Martins (Uberlandia, Brazil). The 'Jackets pulled back within four at 11-7, but that was as close as Graceland would get. A Yellowjacket attack error gave the Bobcats the 25-14 second set win.
 
Third Set Action

 
Graceland never trailed in the third set as they completely dominated the 'Cats while winning 25-16.
 
Fourth Set Action
 
As the final set score would indicate, this set went back and forth as it had 13 ties and saw five lead changes. Graceland had an early 3-1 lead before Shapiro hit a kill from Rudebusch which was followed by a Jaspe service ace to tie it at 3-3. Peru State would go out to a 10-6 lead on a kill from Rian Kirby (Gretna) off an assist from Meg Grose (Peoria, Ariz.). The 'Cats would still have a four-point advantage at 17-13 before the Yellowjackets would slowly work their way back and eventually tied it at 22-22. Graceland had match point on a couple occasions at led 26-25 before Jennifer Ostrowski (Kankakee, Ill.) came through with a kill on an assist from Rudebusch. A service ace by Grose put the 'Cats up 27-26 before Graceland tied it at 27-27. Kirby nailed a kill off an assist from Grose to make it 28-27. The duo came through as well for the final set point.
 
Fifth Set Action
 
After the score was tied 4-4, things started to look bleak for the 'Cats as Graceland went out to an 11-6 advantage. An Ostrowski/Rudebusch combo made it 11-7 and then a Graceland attack, followed by a block by Bowman and Rudebusch made it 11-9 forcing a timeout by the Yellowjackets. Rudebusch then set up Jaspe for a kill which was then followed by another Bowman/Rudebusch block to tie it at 11-11. A service ace by Cristina Viera (Montevideo, Uruguay), who had been serving during this stretch, gave the 'Cats the 12-11 lead. Bowman landed a kill off an assist from Rudebusch and Peru State had two match points for the win. After a timeout, Viera had a service error which was followed by a Graceland service error making it 14-12. The final point came on a block by Jaspe and Bowman giving Peru State the 15-12 set and match win.

 
GRACELAND GAME BOOK

Statistics
 
Neither team had a high hitting percentage, but when the teams combined for 189 digs and 50 blocks, it is easy to see why.
 
Jaspe was the only Bobcat in double figures in kills as she finished with ten. Ostrowski had nine kills on just 11 swings with no errors and hit an outstanding .818. Shapiro and Kirby each had eight kills while Martins came through with seven. Bowman finished the match with five.
 
Rudebusch led the team with 24 assists while Grose added ten. Samantha Hinrichs (Ankeny, Iowa) finished with five assists.
 
Jaspe had two service aces while Grose and Viera each had one.
 
Viera had a match-high 31 digs while Gianna Gangi (Simi Valley, Calif.) added 18 – a career-high. Alaya Roberts (Cibolo, Texas) had a career-high ten digs. Jaspe finished with seven digs while Grose added six.
 

Kirby and Bowman each had two solo blocks with Bowman adding ten block assists. Bowman's 12 blocks were a career-high. Shapiro had seven block assists while Ostrowski had six block assists.
 
Upcoming Match
 
Prior to Tuesday's match, the Bobcats had already secured the fourth seed in the Heart's post-season championship tournament. Peru State will be hosting Missouri Valley at 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The Vikings are the fifth seed and finished the year with a 28-8 overall record and a 9-4 Heart record. The teams met on Oct. 25 and the Bobcats swept the Vikings.
 
Game time is set for 5 p.m. which will follow Peru State's football game. Since this is a conference post-season tournament, only Heart passes will be accepted. Ticket prices are Adults - $6, Seniors over 65 - $5, and Students 7 and over - $4.
 
With a win, Peru State would advance to play either Grand View or Baker/Graceland on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The site would depend on the winner of the Grand View match.