(Peru, Neb.) – The Peru State volleyball team gave the NAIA's eighth-ranked team all they could handle Tuesday night, but the Grand View Vikings prevailed in three sets.
 
The Vikings won 25-22, 28-26, 25-22 to complete a perfect run in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) regular season. Grand View finished 19-0 in conference action and is 28-7 overall. Peru State fell to 13-19 on the year and finished 10-9 in conference play.
 
Grand View will be the top seed in the upcoming post-season tournament while the 'Cats will be the third seed from the north division. The Bobcats will travel to face MidAmerica Nazarene at 5 p.m. on Saturday in Olathe, Kan.

 
First Set Action
 
Peru State had opportunities in all three sets to get a win. In the first set the 'Cats led 19-18 after a service ace by Taylor Hogan (Pueblo, Colo.). But the Vikings stormed back to get the 25-22 win.
 
Second Set Action
 
The second set was even closer with the Bobcats having a 20-17 lead after Raechel Knowles (Nassau, Bahamas) put down a kill off an assist from Meg Grose (Peoria, Ariz.). The Vikings then scored five straight points to lead 22-20 before Nadja Janjevic (Podgorica, Montenegro) pulled the Bobcats within one with a kill off an assist from Grose.
 
The 'Cats would tie the set at 23-23 on a Viking attack error, but Grand View went to set point with a kill. Kira Shapiro (Omaha) would tie it with a kill on an assist from Brooke Rudebusch (Moorpark, Calif.).  Peru State had its first set point after another Grand View attack error, but the Vikings knotted it at 25-25.
 
Grand View went ahead 26-25, but a block by Alex Bowman (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Shapiro tied the set at 26-26. A Peru State service error was followed by a Viking kill for the 28-26 Grand View win.

 
Third Set Action
 
Peru State jumped out to a 4-1 lead and later led 14-10 before Grand View started to make its comeback. The Vikings scored seven straight points before Bowman got a kill off an assist from Rudebusch to make it 17-15.
 
The 'Cats would fight back to pull with one at 22-21 after a Grand View attack error and then was within one at 23-22 after Hannah Sexton (Beatrice) had a kill off an assist from Grose.
 
Grand View then had back-to-back kills to win the set and match.
 
Statistics
 
Grand View hit .182 during the match while holding Peru State to a .103 hitting percentage.
 
No Bobcat was in double figures with kills. Mallory Matthies (Omaha) had seven kills while Shapiro and Janjevic each finished with six. Bowman added five kills.
 
Grose finished with 20 assists while Rudebusch added 12.

 
Rudebusch had a match-high three service aces while Grose had two. Janjevic and Hogan each had one service ace.
 
Cristina Viera (Montevideo, Uruguay) had a match-high 29 digs while Grose and Rudebusch added 11 and ten respectively to give each player a double-double on the night.
 
Bowman was credited with one solo block and three block assists while Knowles, Shapiro, and Sexton each had one block assist.
 
Upcoming Match
 
Peru State will face MidAmerica Nazarene for the second time this season in the quarterfinals of the Heart's post-season tournament. The Pioneers, who moved into the Coaches' Poll at #25 this week, finished the season with a 23-9 record and were 15-4 in conference play. MidAmerica Nazarene swept the Bobcats earlier in the regular season, but the second and third sets were close.
 
If Peru State would win, they would most likely travel back to Des Moines next Wednesday to once again face Grand View.