PIKEVILLE, Ky – The cycling door of injuries continued to hinder UPIKE volleyball on Friday when it took a tough loss against Cumberlands (Ky.) in straight sets, 25-6, 25-18, 25-18.

Almost nothing went UPIKE's way in the first set as a pair of very long runs put the Bears in a huge deficit almost immediately. The Patriots had seven service aces in the set to help kickstart those runs. The Bears also had five errors on just three attacks for a -.095 hit percentage in the set.

UPIKE righted the ship a bit in the later sets, eventually finding some form of an offense that was without the Bears' No. 1 target this season, Noelani Simpson. Pikeville hung around in the second set until a late 6-1 run sealed it for the Patriots.

The third set was nearly identical to the second in that UPIKE stayed within a couple points until a late run kept the Bears winless in conference play this season.

Megan Frazier and Hunter Clewis led the way for UPIKE with five kills each. Lily Chapman and Leah Crist each had seven for Cumberlands. Crist had herself a night to remember leading the team in kills, aces (6) and blocks (2).

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UPIKE will have little time to recover before facing Life University tomorrow at home at 2:00 p.m.