(Peru, Neb.) – It was anticipated it could be a close match and it was through four sets. However, the Benedictine Ravens put it to the Bobcats in the fifth set to take a big conference win Friday night in Atchison, Kansas.
 
The Ravens won 23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 15-5 to improve to 14-6 overall and 7-5 in the Heart. Peru State fell to 9-11 overall and 7-4 in conference action.
 
First Set Action
 
Three Raven errors gave Peru State an early 3-0 advantage which they would hold until Benedictine would eventually tie it at 11-11. A kill by Kira Shapiro (Omaha) from Brooke Rudebusch (Moorpark, Calif.) put the 'Cats back on top at 12-11. After being tied at 13-13 and 14-14, a kill Alaya Roberts (Cibolo, Texas) from Meg Grose (Peoria, Ariz.) broke that tie. The Bobcats would maintain that lead until Benedictine would battle back to tie it at 23-23 each. A Raechel Knowles (Nassau, Bahamas) kill from Grose would give Peru State set point. A serve ace from Taylor Hogan (Pueblo, Colo.) gave the Bobcats the first set win.

 
Second Set Action
 
A kill by Claire Cudney (Marysville, Kan.) on an assist from Rudebusch started set two. The Ravens would eventually go on top at 5-4 and never trailed the rest of the way. Benedictine had built a seven-point lead at 19-12 before Peru State did fight back to get within three at 21-18 after Mallory Matthies (Omaha) added a kill off an assist from Grose. But, that was as close as the 'Cats would get.
 
Third Set Action
 
Benedictine jumped out to a 4-0 led by a Matthies/Grose combination made it 4-1. A kill by Shapiro on an assist from Hogan, followed by a service ace from Rudebusch made it 4-3. A Raven attack error knotted the game at 4-4. After Benedictine led 6-5, back-to-back hitting errors by the Ravens gave Peru State the lead which they held the rest of the way. The 'Cats built their lead to 22-15 which forced a timeout by the Ravens. Benedictine did pull to within one at 24-23 which forced a Peru State timeout. Following the timeout, a Raven error gave Peru State the 25-23 win.
 
Fourth Set Action
 
The fourth set was the closest of any of the previous sets as it saw 16 ties and six lead changes. The largest lead of the set came early when the Ravens led 5-1. A kill by Shapiro on an assist from Rudebusch was followed by a solo block by Knowles to pull Peru State within two at 5-3. Later in the set, the game was tied at 6, 8, 9, 13, 14, and 15. A Shapiro kill from Rudebusch made it 16-15 and then a service ace from Grose gave the Bobcats a 17-15 lead. Peru State would actually lead by three at 19-16 after a Raven error. Benedictine would go on a 5-0 run to lead 21-19 before a serving error on the Ravens made it 21-20. Benedictine would go on to win 25-22.

 
Fifth Set Action
 
Benedictine moved out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back in the fifth and deciding set.

BENEDICTINE GAME BOOK
 
Statistics
 
The Bobcats almost reached their goal of hitting .200 as they finished at .184. However, the Ravens hit .248 and finished with 18 more kills.
 
Shapiro led Peru State with 15 kills and hit .371. Cudney added nine kills while Knowles had seven. Nadja Janjevic (Podgorica, Montenegro) added six kills while hitting .385. Matthies finished with five kills.
 
Grose and Rudebusch each finished with 22 assists.
 
Grose also led the team with three service aces while Rudebusch and Hogan each added two.
 
Cristina Viera (Montevideo, Uruguay) had a match-high 20 digs while Grose and Roberts each added seven.
 
Cudney, Janjevic, and Knowles were each credited with a solo block. Janjevic and Alex Bowman (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) each add three block assists while Matthies, Cudney, and Knowles were each credited with two solo blocks.
 
Upcoming Matches
 
The Bobcats will play two more conference matches before participating in a robust non-conference tournament.
 
On Saturday, the 'Cats are playing MidAmerica Nazarene in Olathe, Kan., at 1 p.m. The Pioneers are 13-8 on the year and are 8-4 in the Heart. MidAmerica Nazarene has won their last two contests.
 
Next Friday and Saturday, the Bobcats will facing some top NAIA opponents when they participate in the Grand View tournament in Des Moines.