Peru State College Athletics

(Peru, Ne.)- The Peru State College volleyball team took down Heart of America Athletic Conference foe Missouri Valley in sweeping fashion on Friday night. The Bobcats defeated the Vikings with a set score of 25-23, 25-16 and 25-18.
 
Peru State rises to 12-7 overall with a 4-4 conference mark while Missouri Valley drops to 12-10 overall and a 4-5 conference slate.
 
The first set opened with both teams trading blows as a Bobcat kill would give them a one-point advantage at 7-6 after a series that featured five ties and one lead change, three-straight Viking points would take the lead (9-7) but Peru State responded with a 5-1 run to earn their own two-point lead (12-10). A string of Bobcat errors aided a 10-4 Missouri Valley stretch to earn a four-point advantage (20-16) until a 7-1 Peru State push reclaimed the lead at 23-21. Back-to-back Viking kills evened the set at 23, but consecutive Missouri Valley errors would give Peru State the set 25-23.
 
The second set began with a 12-5 Bobcat series to force a Viking timeout, the first point back in play went to Missouri Valley but a 4-1 Peru State run that featured kills from four different Bobcats extended the lead to nine. Both teams traded points until four straight Viking points would cut the lead to five, Peru State would answer with their own series of four straight to take the set 25-16.
 
Set three started with some back and forth as a Shealie Wiebers (Papillion, Nebraska. / Papillion-La Vista High School) service ace would find the Bobcats a one-point lead (4-3) but Missouri Valley would score the next four to hold a three-point edge (7-4), Peru State found six of the next seven to snatch the lead at 11-8 then more back and forth would see the Bobcats with a two-point lead (14-12). A 6-1 stretch which saw scores from five different Peru State attackers would extend the advantage to seven (20-13) until the Vikings found a 4-2 push in attempts to spark a comeback (22-17), but a 3-1 spurt by the Bobcats would end the set and the game 25-18.
 
Peru State utilized a balanced yet efficient attach that was highlighted by a .312 team hitting percentage which is a season best, Wiebers paced the Bobcats with 10 kills while Brinley Falkinburg (Lincoln, Nebraska. / Lincoln East High School) notched nine kills with a career-best .533 hitting percentage. Addison Schneider (Humphrey, Nebraska. / Humphrey High School) tagged eight kills at a game-high .538 clip while Eden More (Eagle, Nebraska. / Waverly High School) also logged eight, Teodora Bulatovic (Tivat, Montenegro. SMŠ "Mladost" Tivat) and Samantha Chesley (Lincoln, Nebraska. / Pius X High School) both put up 19 assists while Wiebers also sent over four service aces.
 
Defensively Braelyn Braithwaite (Elkhorn, Nebraska. / Elkhorn South High School) led the team with 13 digs while Bulatovic found 10 and Chesley dug up eight, Chancie Deaton (Payson, Arizona. / Payson High School) earned two solo blocks and a block assist while Schneider found one apiece for two total blocks.
 
Peru State faces a quick turnaround as they are set to take on Heart opponent Central Methodist tomorrow in the Al Wheeler Activity Center at 2:00 PM.