BARBOURVILLE, Ky. – The University of Pikeville volleyball team saw a two-set lead slip away on Saturday morning, falling to Union College 3-2.
 
Union's win squared the season series with UPike, which took a 3-0 contest in Pikeville on Sept. 23.
 
The loss dropped the Bears to 13-7 on the season with an AAC record of 5-7. The Bulldogs improved to 7-13, 7-5 this season.
 
The contest started close, as the teams managed to have tie scores six times between 7-7 and 17-17. The Bears scored five of the next seven points after the final tie. They led 24-20 before a Union rally pulled them to within one, but a kill by freshman Alondra Ayende off a set by senior Cheyenne Martinez finished it 25-23.
 
The Bears opened the second set with a 5-0 lead. Union pulled as close as two at 14-12, but the Bears again went on a five-point run to pull away. The guests scored the last four of the set to win 25-15.
 
Leading 2-0, the Bears scored the first three points of the third set and was poised to pull away for the win. But trailing 4-1, Union scored seven unanswered points to go ahead 8-4 and eventually led 10-5.
 
That's when UPike scored seven unanswered points, including three straight service aces by senior libero Kiara Warrens to regain the lead at 12-10. The Bears built the lead to 16-13 before Union took control with five unanswered points and nine of the next 10 to win 25-19.
 
UPike again opened the fourth set hot, scoring five of the first six points. Union tied the match at 7-7 before a 7-1 run gave it a 14-9 lead. Scoring the final three points, the Bulldogs evened the match with a 25-16 win.
 
The Bulldogs scored the first two points and built a 3-1 lead before the Bears posted five straight points to take a 6-3 lead. The Bears led 7-5 before Union took control with a seven-point run, four of which came via UPike attack errors.
 
The Bears cut the deficit to three on two occasions but fell 15-11.
 
Freshman Lanie Hawley led the Bears with 17 kills. Junior Yaricel Rodriguez followed with 15 while Ayende added 14. Warrens had five of UPike's seven service aces while Martinez recorded 44 assists.
 
On the defensive side of the net, Hawley was a part of seven blocks, two of them being solos. Rodriguez added four block assists. Martinez and Warrens each recorded 18 digs while freshman Lillian Carpenter chipped in with 13.
 
The Bears return home on Tuesday night when they entertain Tennessee Wesleyan in a 7 p.m. match at the UPike Gym.