Box Score (Peru, Neb.)—On Saturday morning the Peru State volleyball team dropped a tough four set match against undefeated and eleventh ranked MidAmerica Nazarene. The Bobcats are now 6-20 overall and 3-13 in Heart of America Athletic conference play while the Pioneers are now 23-0 and 16-0 in conference play.
 
Below is a breakdown of how each set in the match went…
 
MidAmerica Nazarene started the first set on a 7-2 run, before a service error by the Pioneers and a service ace by Rylee Hellbusch (Plattsmouth) had the Bobcats down 7-4. Then a 7-1 run by the Pioneers had them extend out their lead to nine leading 14-5.
 
The Bobcats punched back with a 7-0 run of their own as they had kills by Lauren Moubray (Mission, Texas) and Katie Mendick (Bellevue). They also had an ace from Mattie Nichols (Auburn) and the help of a few Pioneer errors in the run to make the score 14-12.
 
A quick 5-1 run by the Pioneers had the Bobcats down 19-13 late in the first set. The Bobcats would get the set to within four points once more after kills by Keiley Hein (Omaha) and Kennedy Miller (Plattsmouth) had the score at 22-18.
 
Miller would get another kill but the Pioneers would win the first set 25-19.
 
MidAmerica Nazarene would be up early in the first set 4-1, but the Bobcats would hang tough early in the second set. Peru State would be within one multiple times early in the second, Hein would get a kill to make the score 7-6.
 
The Pioneers then went on a 12-3 run to take a 19-9 lead as they flexed their undefeated muscle. Peru State would only score three more times in the second set with two kills by Hein and one by Kylee Fischer (Bellevue).
 
MidAmerica Nazarene would take set two 25-12.
 
The third set, the Bobcats offense came alive as they would be up 7-4 early. The Pioneers would get the score within one 7-6, before the Bobcats went on a 10-2 run to take a 17-8 lead.
 
The Bobcats had the help of a few Pioneer errors plus kills from Kim Krise (Briggsdale, Colo.), Michelle Beer (Salem) and Mendick. Peru State also got an ace from Olivia Gordon (Oskaloosa, Iowa) during the run.
 
Peru State kept the foot on the gas pedal in the third set as they would be up ten 20-10 late in third set after a kill by Fischer. MidAmerica Nazarene would get the score to within seven down 22-15. But a kill by Krise, an error on the Pioneers and an ace by Gordon had the Bobcats with the 25-15 third set win.
 
Peru State started the fourth set on fire as they were up 10-3 early after kills by Hein and a few aces from Sidney Peck (Manitoba, Canada). The Pioneers then went on a 10-2 run to take a 13-12 lead in the fourth.
 
The Bobcats and Pioneers then would go back and forth in the middle portion of the fourth set. The Bobcats would be holding on to a two-point lead after a kill by Mendick and an error on the Pioneers up 17-15.
 
MidAmerica Nazarene then showed why they are undefeated as they went on a 10-2 run to close out the fourth set 25-19 and win the match 3-1.
 
Mendick led the way in kills with 11, Hein finished with ten and Fischer had five. Gordon and Peck tied the way in aces with three each and Nichols finished with one. Beer had four blocks while Miller and Fischer finished with two each.
 
Gordon led the way in assists with 17, Hellbusch finished with 11 and Nichols had two. Nichols led the way in digs with 26, Peck had ten and Beer finished with seven.
 
Peru State hits the road one final time this weekend as they face William Penn Friday, October 28, first serve is at 6:00 p.m.