(Peru, Neb.) – It was a reversal of fortunes Saturday afternoon as the Missouri Valley Vikings volleyball team came into the Al Wheeler Activity Center and swept the Bobcats. It was just ten days prior that Peru State had swept Mo Valley in the AWAC.
 
More importantly, the Vikings continue on in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) post-season tournament and will face the number one seed Grand View Vikings Wednesday night in Des Moines.

 
Missouri Valley won 26-24, 28-26, 25-19 to improve to 29-8 on the season. The 'Cats fell to 32-9 and will have a very slight chance of making the NAIA National Championships.
 
First Set Action
 
As the score would indicate, it was a tight set throughout. Each team had a four-point advantage at one point with Peru State's largest lead coming at 7-3 after a kill by Jhessica Martins (Uberlandia, Brazil) off an assist from Brooke Rudebusch (Moorpark, Calif.). The Vikings would come storming back and eventually led 16-12. The 'Cats would come back with four straight points with a kill by Kira Shapiro (Omaha) knotting it up.
 
Peru State would never get the lead but would keep tying it up late at 22-22 and 24-24, but could never take advantage as the Vikings went on to win.
 
Second Set Action
 
It looked like it was going to be Mo Valley all the way in the second set as they jumped out to an early 6-2 lead. The Vikings still led by four at 16-12 and later 21-17 before actually extending their lead to 24-18 before the Bobcats fought off seven straight set points.
 
Alex Bowman (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) put down a kill from Rudebusch to make it 24-19 before the Vikings had an attack error to make it 24-20. Shapiro and Rudebusch combined for a kill to make it 24-21 before Bowman got a solo block making it 24-22. A block by Shapiro and Bowman pulled the 'Cats within one at 24-23 and then Bowman and Yorgelys Jaspe (San Carlos, Venezuela) combined for a block to tie it at 24-24.
 
A Viking attack error gave Peru State the advantage at 25-24, but Mo Valley came back with back-to-back kills to go ahead 26-25. Jaspe put down a kill on an assist from Rudebusch to tie it again at 26-26, but Mo Valley came back with two kills to take the second set.
 
Third Set Action

 
The loss at the end of the second set appeared to take the wind out of the Bobcat sails as they trailed the entire third set after scoring the first point of the set on a service ace by Rudebusch. The Vikings led by as many as seven in the set. Peru State pulled to within three at 21-18 after an attack error by Mo Valley, but that was as close as the Bobcats would get.
 
MO VALLEY GAME BOOK

Statistics
 
Neither team hit the ball well, but part of that can be attributed to the good defense. Peru State had ten team blocks while the Vikings had seven. Mo Valley had 67 digs while the 'Cats finished with 62.
 
Jaspe was the only Bobcat in double digits with 11 kills while Shapiro finished with eight. Martins added seven and Bowman added five.
 
Rudebusch had 20 assists while Meg Grose (Peoria, Ariz.) added 12.
 
Rudebusch had two service aces while Gianna Gangi (Simi Valley, Ariz.) and Cristina Viera (Montevideo, Uruguay) each added one.
 
Viera finished with a team-high 16 digs while Jaspe finished with a double double as she had 12 digs. Gangi added 11 with Rudebusch and Grose each finishing with seven.
 
Bowman was credited with the lone solo block and added five block assists. Jennifer Ostrowski (Kankakee, Ill.) added four block assists while Shapiro, Jaspe, Rian Kirby (Gretna), and Hannah Sexton (Beatrice) each added two block assists. Martins was credited with one block assist.
 
Single-Season Mark Established
 
With her 16 digs, Viera became the single-season leader with 897 digs. She broke a make which had stood since 1997 and was set by Jaisa (Kappas) Poppleton who actually had the top two marks. Poppleton had 884 digs 19 years ago.
 
Upcoming Games
 
There is an outside chance that the Bobcats will have an opportunity to redeem themselves as the NAIA will have 44 teams who will have a chance to play on the big stage. Peru State will have to wait until Nov. 14 if they have any shot of it. The top 20 seeds will automatically qualify for the national tournament with 24 other teams vying for the possibility of making it to Sioux City, Iowa, late in November.