(Peru, Neb.) – After working into a starting position after a couple of years as a back-up, Peru State's Raechel Knowles (Nassau, Bahamas) came through in a big way Tuesday night. Knowles helped lead the Bobcats to a key Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) five-set win over Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
Knowles finished the match with 23 kills which is more than she had in all of 2016. She finished hitting a very respectable .385 as the 'Cats picked up their tenth win of the season against 12 losses. More importantly, Peru State is now 8-5 in the Heart. The Mustangs fell to 10-12 on the season and are 5-8 in conference play.
 
First Set Action
 
With the exception of Mount Mercy jumping to an early lead of 8-2 after which Peru State called a timeout, the first set was close as there were 16 ties and 11 lead changes.

 
After the Bobcats called their timeout at 8-2, Alex Bowman (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) put down a kill on an assist from Brooke Rudebusch (Moorpark, Calif.) to stop the Mustang run. Knowles then put down her first kill of the match on an assist from Rudebusch to make it 8-4. Cristian Viera (Montevideo, Uruguay) then had a service ace to pull the 'Cats within three at 8-5.
 
Eventually the Bobcats would tie the game at 10-10 on an attack error by Mount Mercy. The rest of the set would go back and forth and was tied multiple times. The Mustangs led 23-22 before Kira Shapiro (Omaha) had a kill from Rudebusch to tie the game. A kill by Knowles off an assist from Mallory Matthies (Omaha) was followed by the set point kill by Nadja Janjevic (Podgorica, Montenegro) on an over pass.
 
Second Set Action
 
Mount Mercy never trailed in the second set although the 'Cats kept it close early at 7-6. The Mustangs would then jump to a lead of nine at 18-9 and later led by 11 at 23-12 before the Bobcats tried to rally, but it was too late.
 
Third Set Action
 
The third set was similar to the second set as after Peru State led 1-0, the Mustangs went out to a big run and this time, the 'Cats didn't make much of an effort. Mount Mercy easily won.

 
Fourth Set Action
 
Peru State turned the tables on the Mustangs in the fourth set as they gained the lead early only to see Mount Mercy come back to take a 9-8 lead. A kill by Emily Meyer (Sabetha, Kan.) from an assist from Meg Grose (Peoria, Ariz.) started a seven-point run for Peru State. Later, Bowman had a kill from Taylor Hogan (Pueblo, Colo.) to make it 15-9.
 
A Knowles kill off an assist from Rudebusch ended the set forcing the fifth and deciding game.
 
Fifth Set Action
 
Peru State took an early 4-1 lead in the final set with the fourth point coming on a kill from Knowles which forced a Mustang timeout. Knowles would come back with another kill on an assist from Rudebusch to make it 5-1. But, Mount Mercy was not down and out as they shot back to go up 9-6.
 
A service error by Mount Mercy made it 9-7 and then Knowles and Grose hooked up to pull Peru State within one at 9-8. The Mustangs still made it tougher as they pulled out to a 13-10 lead. In a modified line-up, Rudebusch put down a kill from Grose to make it 13-11. Meyer and Rudebusch hooked up to make it 13-12 and then Shapiro had an assist from Rudebusch to tie it at 13-13.
 
The Mustangs came back to go up 14-13. Meyer and Rudebusch knotted it up at 14-14 before Knowles put down a kill from Rudebusch to put the 'Cats up 15-14. A block by Bowman and Shapiro gave Peru State match point.

MOUNT MERCY GAME BOOK
 
Statistics

 
Mount Mercy actually outhit Peru State .162 to .146 but the 'Cats had 62 kills while the Mustangs only had 49.
 
Knowles had a match-high 23 kills with Shapiro being the only other Bobcat in double figures with ten. Bowman added nine kills while Janjevic and Meyer each finished with seven kills.
 
Rudebusch led the team with 34 assists while Grose added 18.
 
Janjevic shared game-high honors with two service aces while Grose, Rudebusch, Viera, and Alaya Roberts (Cibolo, Texas) each had one service ace.
 
Viera had a match-high 41 digs with Roberts and Hogan each added 12 digs. Knowles added seven digs with Roberts having six digs.
 
Matthies and Knowles each had one solo block. Bowman added six block assists while Janjevic had three block assists. Matthies, Meyer, and Shapiro each had two block assists.
 
Upcoming Matches
 
The Bobcats will be playing in a tough tournament this weekend hosted by Grand View in Des Moines, Iowa. In three of four matches, the 'Cats will be playing either ranked or teams receiving votes in the most recent NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
 
Peru State will start by playing Viterbo (Wis.) at 3 p.m. on Friday. The Hawks are 20-0 on the season and ranked first in the NAIA.  At 6 p.m., the Bobcats will face Rocky Mountain (Mont.). The Montana team is 15-6 and is just outside of the Top 25 Poll at number 26.
 
On Saturday morning, the Bobcats will start with Saint Francis (Ind.) at 9 a.m. The team from Fort Wayne is 7-15 having picked up a win Tuesday night. Peru State will finish the tournament at 3 p.m. against another Montana team – Montana Tech. Tech is 13-5 at this point and are presently 15^th in the NAIA poll.
 
The following Tuesday, Oct. 17, Peru State will be at Graceland for another Heart matchup. The game will be played at 7 p.m. in Lamoni, Iowa. The Yellowjackets are 10-13 on the season and are 4-9 in the Heart as they upset Clarke (Iowa) Tuesday night.