(Peru, Neb.) – It took five sets, but the Peru State volleyball kept their Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) record perfect Friday night. The Bobcats topped Culver-Stockton (C-SC) 25-18, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-8 in Canton, Mo., in a battle of the 'Cats.
 
The Wildcats fell to 5-10 overall and are 0-3 in the Heart while Peru State improved 6-7 and are now at 4-0 in conference action.
 
Peru State was able to hit over .200 which is a team goal as they finished the match hitting .240 while Culver-Stockton hit just .079.
 
Set One Action
 
After the first point was scored by the Wildcats, Claire Cudney (Marysville, Kan.) got Peru State on the board with kill coming off an assist from Meg Grose (Peoria, Ariz.). The Bobcats would run the score to 6-1 before C-SC called a time out. After the Wildcats did score on the next play, Kira Shapiro (Omaha) would get a kill off an assist from Brooke Rudebusch (Moorpark, Calif.) to start another little run by the Bobcats as they would go up 11-2.
 
Culver-Stockton would go on a run and cut it to 17-14 before an attack error by the Wildcats put the Bobcats back up by four. Later, a kill by Nadja Janjevic (Podgorica, Montenegro) kill from Rudebusch would seal the 25-18 Peru State win.
 
Second Set Action
 
While Culver-Stockton never trailed in the second set, it was tied on several occasions. Peru State tied it at 7-7 and later at 19-19, both coming off Wildcat errors. But, the Bobcats would never take the lead and dropped the second set 25-22.
Third Set Action
 
The Wildcats scored the first point of the third set before Hannah Sexton (Beatrice) gave Peru State their first point with a kill on a set from Grose. Mallory Matthies (Omaha) gave the Bobcats their second point with a kill, also off an assist from Grose. An attack error by the Wildcats made it 3-1 Peru State. Culver-Stockton would go on a little roll and led 7-4 and late 10-7 before the Bobcats would fight back to tie it at 11-11.
 
The set would later be tied at 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, and 23 before two Peru State attack errors gave C-SC the set win and 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Fourth Set Action
 
After trailing 2-0, a kill by Shapiro from Rudebusch got the Bobcats on the board. Culver-Stockton would go back up 3-2 which would be their last lead of the set. After a Wildcat error, Alex Bowman (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) would get a kill off an assist from Grose to put the Bobcats up 4-3 and Peru State would lead from that point on.
 
Peru State would increase their lead to 17-10 on a combination kill/assist from Janjevic/Grose. Culver-Stockton did close to within one later, but a service ace gave the Bobcats another two-point cushion. A Wildcat attack error gave Peru State the 25-18 win and tied the match at two sets apiece.
 
Fifth Set Action
 
Culver-Stockton led early in the fifth set at 3-1 before Shapiro put down a kill. Then an attack error was followed by back-to-back kills from Bowman – the first coming off an assist from Alaya Roberts (Cibolo, Texas) and the second from Grose. The Wildcats were as close as one at 7-6 before they had a service error put Peru State up 8-6. Later, after another Wildcat error forced a timeout at 11-6, a block by Mollhoff and Bowman made it 12-6.
 
A Bobcat error would be followed by a Bowman kill from Taylor Hogan (Pueblo, Colo.) to make it 13-7. The Wildcats would get a kill before Shapiro and Mollhoff would each get a kill from Rudebusch for the 15-8 deciding set win.

CULVER-STOCKTON GAME BOOK
 
Statistics
 
Two Bobcats finished in double-digit kills and were led by Shapiro who finished with 18 kills on 41 swings. Shapiro only had one error and finished hitting at an excellent .415 percentage. Janjevic had ten kills and hit .588. Bowman added nine kills while Sexton and Mollhoff had eight and seven kills respectively.
 
Rudebusch finished with a game-high 26 assists while Grose added 19.
 
Roberts had two service aces with Cristina Viera (Montevideo, Uruguay) added one.
 
Viera had her second-straight match of 33 digs which was a match-high effort. Roberts finished with 21 digs while Rudebusch finished with a double-double as she had 15 digs. Hogan contributed eight and Grose added six.
 
Janjevic had four block assists to lead the team while Bowman was credited with three. Mollhoff, Raechel Knowles (Nassau, Bahamas), and Shapiro each had one block assist.
 
Upcoming Matches
 
Peru State will be on the road again for their next match as they will make another long drive, this time to Dubuque, Iowa, to face Clarke at 5 p.m. The Pride are presently 13-3 overall and are 4-1 in the Heart.
 
The Bobcats will then host four matches in a row beginning with a home contest on Hall of Fame Day on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m. Peru State will host Evangel (Mo.). The Crusaders are 5-12 on the season and are 1-3 in conference play and will play twice before heading to Peru.