Peru State College Athletics

(Omaha, Neb.)- The Peru State College volleyball team concluded the Labor Day Classic by going 1-1 in the second day of play. The Bobcats fell to Dordt in straight sets while returning to defeat Evangel 3-1 in the night cap.
 
Peru State's record sits at 7-3 overall while Dordt climbs to 9-3 and Evangel falls to 6-7 overall.
 
Game 1 – Dordt 3, Peru State 0 (25-18, 25-15, 26-24)
 
Neither team could pull away to start off the first set as the score was tied up at 11 after a 22-point series that featured nine ties and four lead changes, Dordt began to pull away after building a four-point lead (18-14) but a 3-1 stretch by Peru State brought the score within two (19-17) until a 6-1 push by the Defenders took the set 25-18.
 
Set two opened with the Bobcats holding a narrow 6-5 lead until five straight Dordt points forced a timeout (10-6), a 7-3 series in favor of the Defenders brought the lead to eight (17-9) and never looked back as they won the set 25-15.
 
Both teams were in a deadlock to begin the third as the score was knotted at 17 after 11 ties and five lead changes until after a Dordt kill, The Bobcats would score five unanswered to force both Defender timeouts and take a 22-18 advantage late in the set. Dordt would respond with a 6-1 run to force a Bobcat timeout at match point, and after a Bobcat kill would even the score at 24, Dordt would score two straight to claim the set and the game 26-24.
 
Addison Schneider (Humphrey, Neb. / Humphrey) and Brinley Falkinburg (Lincoln, Neb. / Lincoln East) led Peru State with seven kills while Samantha Chesley (Lincoln, Neb. / Pius X) had 11 assists and Teodora Bulatovic (Tivat, Montenegro / SMŠ "Mladost" Tivat) tagged nine.
 
Defensively Braelyn Braithwaite (Elkhorn, Neb. / Elkhorn South) paced the team with 12 digs while Shealie Wiebers (Papillion, Neb. / Papillion-La Vista) put up nine. Chancie Deaton (Payson, Ariz. / Payson) marked two block assists.
 
Game 2 - Peru State 3, Evangel 1 (25-16, 17-25, 25-16, 25-19)
 
Peru State jumped to take a 10-7 advantage in the first set and built the lead to seven after scoring four unanswered (14-7) until Evangel rallied back with a 6-2 stretch to bring the score within three (16-13), but the Bobcats caught stride with runs of 3-1 and 6-2 to take the first set 25-16.
 
Both teams opened set two trading blows as after the Valor opened with three straight points, Peru State responded with four unanswered points to regain the lead until a 6-1 push by Evangel took back the lead 9-5. The Bobcats would bring the score within one (10-9), but the Valor would score six of the next seven and after a 3-0 Peru State stint late in the set Evangel would score three of their own to steal the second set 25-17.
 
The Valor hit the third set running as they would score the first five and maintain a five-point lead (9-4) until a string of errors aided the Bobcats in six straight points to take the lead 10-9 and force an Evangel timeout. The timeout did not slow down Peru State as after a Valor point, the Bobcats found a 7-1 series highlighted by three kills and a block by Wiebers to extend the lead to 17-11. Peru State would utilize runs of 5-1 and 3-0 to run away with the third set 25-16.
 
The fourth set opened in favor of the Bobcats as a 7-2 run to open the set would build a five-point advantage until Evangel would claw back to bring the score within two (11-9), but an 8-3 series from Peru State would bring the score to 19-12. Evangel would find a 6-1 run to cut the lead to two (20-18) until a series of Valor errors brought the game to match point (24-18), Evangel scored in attempt to spark a comeback, but a Wiebers kill shut down the set and took the win 25-19.
 
Offensively Wiebers tagged a game-high 16 kills while Eden Moore (Eagle, Neb. / Waverly) marked 11 and Falkinburg brought in eight, Bulatovic set 23 assists while Chesley put up 15 assists and a game-high four service aces.
 
Defensively Braithwaite and Bulatovic both ended with 15 digs on the game and Wiebers notched 12, Wiebers, Deaton, and Schneider all posted three block assists on the night as well.
 
Peru State is back in the Al Wheeler Activity Center as the Bobcats are set to play the University of Saint Mary on Tuesday evening.