WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. – After outhitting Cumberlands and rolling to a 25-21 win in the first set, the University of Pikeville volleyball team's offense hit a wall and the Patriots came back to win three straight sets and top the Bears 3-1 on Tuesday.
The Bears tallied a negative hitting percentage in the second and third sets before being outhit .433 to .129 in the fourth as Cumberlands bounced back from a first set that saw it commit eight errors.
Chelsea Staples was the lone UPIKE player to reach double figures in kills with 12, while Sydney Morris finished with 28 assists and Caitlyn Pfaadt came up with 17 digs to go along with two blocks each from Morris and Sydney Hall.
Morgan Schlatter basically was the offense for the Patriots (15-9, 4-6 MSC), swatting down 21 of the team's 58 kills on just 41 attempts for a .415 hitting percentage. Cumberlands hit .286 as a team compared to .082 for the Bears, the fourth lowest mark of the season.
Samantha Stuckwisch had all but one of Cumberlands' assists in the match, finishing with 46 and Morgan Allen contributed a pair of solo blocks, while Sydney Beck picked up 24 digs.
UPIKE (13-12, 1-9 MSC) held a 6-5 lead in the second set, but the Patrots went on a 15-3 run to seize control of the set, and ultimately the match on their way to a 25-12 win. The Bears never led again in the match, dropping the third and fourth sets by identical 25-16 scores.
The road swing continues for UPIKE on Friday as it takes on No. 19 Georgetown at 7 p.m. ET in Georgetown, Ky.
