Pikeville, KY – The University of Pikeville women's volleyball team lost a tough match at home Tuesday evening against University of the Cumberlands, 3-1. The Bears picked up the first set victory, but couldn't hold onto the momentum, dropping the next three sets, despite keeping it close throughout.

UPIKE was led by Hunter Clewis, who had 15 kills and 16 digs, leading the team in both categories. This is the fourth consecutive double-double for the senior and seventh of the season.

Leigh Johnson had 33 assists, tying her season-high and giving her 30 or more assists in three of her last four matches.

Kiara Warrens (13), Sarah Clark (12), and Mikela Cook (10) also recorded double-digit digs in the match. Cook has had 10 or more digs in five of the last six matches while Warrens has had 13 or more digs in three of the last four matches.

The loss drops UPIKE to 4-21 this season and 2-10 in the Mid-South Conference.

Set By Set
The Bears fell behind 12-7 early on before slowly crawling their way back into the first set. A trio of kills from three different Bears paired with an ace helped fuel a 5-1 run to cut the lead to just one at 13-12. It would be 17-15 Cumberlands before a 4-0 UPIKE flurry would cause a Patriots timeout with the Bears holding a 19-17 advantage. This lead would grow to 22-19 before Cumberlands fought back and made it 22-22. After a timeout, UPIKE would get a kill from Oksana Vucetic before two Johnson aces secured the set 25-22 and gave the Bears a 1-0 match lead.

The Bears jumped out to a 10-5 lead in set two before the Patriots tied it at 10-10. After UPIKE briefly held a 12-10 advantage, Cumberlands would seize the momentum with an 11-1 run to take a commanding 21-13 lead, which would lead to a 25-17 set win to tie the match at one a piece.

Cumberlands would grab a 15-9 lead in the third set, before a pair of kills and two Patriot errors would get UPIKE right back into the set at 15-13. They would cut it to one at 17-16, but the Bears couldn't get over the hump to tie the set. The Patriots would grow their lead and come away with a 25-20 set win to take a 2-1 match lead heading into the fourth set.

Set four would be back and forth throughout, as the teams were all tied up at 19-19. Cumberlands would secure the match, inching ahead with a 4-1 run to make it 23-20. The Bears tried to make the comeback, but couldn't do it as the Patriots won 25-22 and took the match 3-1.

What's Up Next
The Bears will be right back on the court tomorrow night when they travel to Portsmouth, Ohio to take on Shawnee State at 7:00 p.m. These teams met in Pikeville on Sep. 21 where Shawnee State downed UPIKE 3-0.