RICHMOND, Ind. -- With a 3-1 win over host Earlham in the opening match of the Quaker Classic, the University of Pikeville volleyball team became the fastest to reach 10 wins in program history before ending the day with a tough 3-2 loss to Transylvania.

The Bears wrapped up day one with a 10-3 overall record, while Earlham dropped to 1-5 and Transy improved to 4-2.

UPIKE 3, Earlham 1

In the opener against Earlham, UPIKE rocketed out to a 2-0 lead and nearly put away the shutout before falling 26-24 in the third set. The close loss didn't faze it though as UPIKE closed out the win with a dominant 25-18 fourth frame. Ironically, the Bears had their best hitting set in the loss at .417, but the Quakers had their best showing as well at .205 to squeak out the win.

Connor Cook and Kaitlyn Welsh were the leaders on the attack as they each finished with 13 kills while hitting .200 or better. Rachel Murphy took over the setter position and dished out 35 assists, while Sydney Hall and Amari Eadie took care of the net with three blocks each. Natalia Gascot also gave the defense a boost with a match-high 18 digs.

Earlham got 18 kills from Ashleigh Burton and 13 more from Skylar Muckway, but the duo got little help as it hit .078 as a team, compared to a .233 mark for the Bears. While the Bears had 17 attack errors, the Quakers were much worse with 33.

Transy 3, UPIKE 2

For the fourth time this season, UPIKE went five sets with an opponent, but for the first time in those matches it came up on the losing side against Transy. The Pioneers outblocked the Bears 15-9 and had an 8-4 advantage in aces to help make the difference.

Hitting wise the teams were fairly even. UPIKE tallied a .188 hitting mark and the Pioneers hit .125, the difference was how many balls were set cleanly for an attack. Transy got 160 chances for an attack, compared to just 128 for UPIKE.

Hannah Talkers played a large role in the success with a match-high 36 assists for Transy, while Murphy handed out 19. Still, with all the hitting going on, both teams were led by players with 10 kills. Cassidy Tackett had 10 for UPIKE and Adeline Tonn chipped in with 10 for the Pioneers.

Credit UPIKE for not going away easily after falling behind 2-0 with 25-18 and 25-16 losses. After that, it turned the match around with a 25-18 win of their own in the third set before pushing it to a fifth set with a hard-fought 25-23 win in the fourth.

Transy just had more gas left in the tank in the final frame as it jumped out to a big early lead before going on to register the 15-10 win.

UP NEXT

UPIKE wraps up play in the Quaker Classic against Franklin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday.  

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