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PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Chelsea Staples got the day started with 21 kills against Midway and Sydney Hall followed her up with 12 against Ohio Christian to help the University of Pikeville volleyball team register a pair of 3-1 and 3-2 wins, respectively , on Saturday at UPIKE Gym.

The Bears moved to 3-0 on the season with the help of a .269 hitting percentage in the opener against Midway (0-4) and 11 service aces in the finale against the Trailblazers (2-2). Next up for the Bears is a match with Kentucky Christian at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday at home.

Other standouts for UPIKE included Connor Cook with a combined 17 kills, including 12 against OCU, and four aces. Caitlynn Pfaadt picked up 13 digs in each match, Haley Esquivel had 12 kills and 22 digs and Hall added an impressive 12 total blocks. Sydney Morris ran the offense, dishing out 49 and 34 assists, respectively.

Krista Roberts paced Midway with 16 kills and Megan Morrison sent down a team-high 13 for Ohio Christian.  

Trailing 2-1 overall, Pikeville looked in trouble when it went down 21-18 in the fourth set. But a Midway service error and two kills from Hall helped it get within one at 23-22 and ultimately tie the match at 24 on a kill from the setter Morris. The final two points went to the Bears with kills from Cook and Staples.

Midway jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the fifth and final set, but the resilient Bears did it again, scoring six straight points to take a late 12-10 lead and finish off the frame 15-12 with a kill from Hall.

Being outhit .346 to .115 in the second set against Ohio Christian was the lone weak point in the win for UPIKE. Other than that the Bears were on cruise control, winning sets by 25-17, 25-22 and 25-18 scores.