MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. -- The University of Pikeville volleyball team stayed perfect on the season - although it wasn't easy - by outlasting Midway 3-1 and Middle Georgia 3-2 at the Milligan Mountain Madness on Friday.

Sydney Hall paced the Bears (3-0) with a combined 21 kills on the day, while Kaitlyn Welsh chipped in with 20. UPIKE outhit Midway .206 to .109 in the opener, followed by topping Middle Georgia .115 to .057.

UPIKE's serve continued to be its catalyst to success, finishing with a combined 24 aces to help overcome a pair of feisty opponents.

Midway (0-1) started out with a lead after taking the first set 30-28, but the Bears bounced back to win three straight frames. UPIKE evened the score with a 25-14 win in the second set, but had to win 31-29 in the third. The deciding fourth set went a little smoother at 25-20.

Middle Georgia (1-2) made things even tougher, winning the first set by a lopsided 25-14 score. But the poor frame seemed to motivate the Bears as they won the next two frames 25-17 and 25-18. Middle Georgia tied the match at 2-2 with a 25-22 fourth set, but in the end it was UPIKE winning 15-6 to put the match away.

BEAR FACTS

Sydney Hall started slow against Midway, tallying just six kills on 16 swings, but bounced back in a big way in the finale, pacing the team with 15 kills at a .286 clip…Amari Eadie was a force at the net in the opener, sending back a career-best eight blocks, including three solos…Defense was a team effort against Midway as four Bears reached double figures in digs.

UP NEXT

UPIKE continues play in the Milligan Mountain Madness on Saturday, taking on Bluefield at 11 a.m. ET and Milligan at 1 p.m.

-UPIKE-