Grayson, Ky. – The UPIKE Bears traveled to Grayson, Kentucky for a double header and notched their first win of the 2022 season. The Bears won 3-1 over Ohio Christian then lost 3-1 to Kentucky Christian.
Game 1: The Bears and Trail Blazers were neck and neck in the first set, but the Trail Blazers won 25-21. The Bears bounced back in the second set. Leading 16-12,
Genesis Santiago Melendez fired off three straight serving aces to put the Bears up 19-12. The Bears capped off a win in the second set with a kill by
Erin Ende.
The Bears carried the momentum from the second set and jumped out to a 12-5 lead. Later on, the Bears capped off a dominant set victory with a kill by
Jada Slone to take a 2-1 set lead on the Trail Blazers.
The Bears fell behind 6-3 early in the fourth set, but showed some great resiliency shortly thereafter. The Bears had three different 3-0 scoring runs during the fourth set to grab a 16-15 lead. A kill by
Oksana Vucetic capped off UPIKE's first match win of the 2022 season.
It was a complete performance by the Bears. Junior
Marianne Negron Cordero logged a team-high 11 kills,
Oksana Vucetic had ten blocks and
Cheyenne Martinez had an astounding 34 assists.
Game 2: The Bears fell behind early in the first set, but when on a run midway through. The Bears quickly turned a 14-6 deficit into a 15-15 tie. The Bears made it close, but lost the first set 25-21. The Bears and Knights traded blows in the second, but the Knights took the second set.
Midway through the third set, the Bears and Knights were tied at 12. Then, the Bears went on a 6-1 run to take an 18-13 run. The Bears staved off a late KCU run and finished off the third set with a 25-19 win.
The Bears still trailed 2-1 despite winning the third set. The Bears fell behind early in the third but battled back. The Bears got within one point but the Knights shut the door on a comeback bid with a big run of their own. The Bears fell 25-15 in the fourth set and lost the match 3-1.
Marianne Negron Cordero led the Bears in kills and blocks, with seven each. Junior
Cheyenne Martinez followed up a 34-assist performance against Ohio Christian with a 27-assist performance against KCU.
UPIKE split the double header today and put forth some of their best performances of the season. The Bears are back in action again on Wednesday evening when the Alice Lloyd College Eagles roll into the UPIKE Gym.
#MoveMountains
