Pikeville, KY – The University of Pikeville volleyball team lost to the Thomas More Saints Wednesday night at home, 3-0. The Bears fell in a hard-fought first set, 25-23 but struggled to get any momentum going in sets two and three, as they hit below .100 for the match.

Hunter Clewis led the offense with nine kills while Yeryvel Catala added eight. Defensively, Mikela Cook had 11 digs and Cheyenne Martinez had 10. Cook has had double-digit digs in seven of her last eight matches. Leigh Johnson and Martinez both had nine assists in the contest. This loss drops the Bears to 4-23 overall and 2-12 in the Mid-South Conference.

Set By Set
UPIKE grabbed a 5-1 lead in the first set off the strength of a pair of Martinez aces, but Thomas More tied it at 5-5. The two teams would trade points until it was 16-16. After this, the Saints used a 3-0 run to take a 19-16 lead, a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the set. They came away with the 25-23 set win and took a 1-0 match lead.

The Saints held an 18-14 lead in the second set before the Bears cut it to one at 18-17 and forced a Thomas More timeout. A Clewis kill and Johnson ace fueled the 3-0 flurry. Unfortunately for UPIKE, a 7-2 run out of the timeout gave the Saints a 25-19 set win and 2-0 match lead.

The final set saw the Bears trailing 16-13 before a 7-0 burst from Thomas More gave them a 10-point advantage and sealed the win for them as they would take the set 25-14 and win the match 3-0.

What's Up Next
The Bears return to the court on Monday when they travel to Alice Lloyd College for a non-conference match with the Eagles. UPIKE beat Alice Lloyd 3-0 for their first victory on Sep. 27 in Pikeville.