Pikeville, Ky. – The UPIKE Bears defeated the Alice Lloyd Eagles tonight by a final count of 3-1. Tonight's win is the Bear's second win of the season and their first win at home.
The Bears followed up their two best games of the season with a win in front of the home crowd. The Bears fell behind late in the first set 22-17 but stormed back with five straight points to tie it. Alice Lloyd would ultimately take the first set 29-27.
After a wild first set, the Bears roared back in the second with two five-nothing runs midway through the set. Later in the set UPIKE had an 18-11 lead and went on a 7-0 run capped off by a kill by
Alex Van Dyke to tie the match score at 1-1.
The Eagles and the Bears went on multiple scoring runs in the third until late in the set the Bears found themselves trailing 21-19. Despite trailing, UPIKE did not flinch and went on a 4-0 run to go up 23-21. The third set, similar to the first, went to a win-by-two situation but this time junior
Daniela Hernandez recorded a kill to secure the set, 27-25.
Leading 2-1 with a chance to close out a win, the Bears got off to a quick 10-3 lead over the Eagles. Shortly after, the Bears led 15-6 but the Eagles went on a 4-0 run to cut the score to 15-10. UPIKE shut the door on the Eagles comeback bid by scoring five of the next six points with kills from
Daniela Hernandez,
Alex Van Dyke and
Marianne Negron Cordero.
Daniela Hernandez recorded the match-winning kill to secure the victory for UPIKE.
UPIKE was led in kills by
Daniela Hernandez with fourteen,
Marianne Negron Cordero with ten and
Oksana Vucetic with eight. As a team, the Bears finished with 52 kills. The Bears also recorded 19 aces, led by
Cheyenne Martinez and
Leigh Johnson with four each. Martinez followed up her 61-assist weekend with another 39 assists tonight.
Marianne Negron Cordero also led the Bears with five blocks.
The Bears have won two of their last three games and will hit the road Friday night in Hamilton, Ohio as they take on Miami University-Hamilton.
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