PIKEVILLE, Ky. – The University of Pikeville picked up a 3-0 win over Johnson University on Friday night, but that score doesn't tell the tale.
 
The game scores – 29-27, 25-21, 26-24 – are much more indicative of how tight this match was.
 
The win elevated the Bears to 12-7 overall and 7-4 in the AAC. Meanwhile, Johnson is now 17-4 overall and 8-3 in the conference and saw a five-game winning streak come to an end.
 
Freshman Cassidy Rivas matched her season high with 20 kills in the win. Sophomore Theresa Romero followed with 12 and sophomore Lanie Hawley added nine. Freshman Tylie Barton had 39 assists, while Hawley had four service aces and Barton three.
 
Defensively, freshman Ashtyn Filkins led five Bears with double digit digs with 26. Rivas and sophomore Alondra Ayende had 18 each, while junior Jordan Roberts finished with 14 while Barton added 10.
 
The Bears have a short break between matches, as they return to the court on Saturday morning at 11 when Union Commonwealth University comes to the UPike Gym.
 
Bears 29, Royals 27: UPike built a 20-11 lead and pushed it to 22-12 before having to hold on for the win. A kill by Kristen Bell had Johnson within one at 10-9 before the Bears pulled away. A 12-3 run was keyed by five kills for Rivas to make the lead 22-12, and then the Royals went on a 12-2 run that was largely fueled by UPike miscues. Tied at 27, the Bears got an attack error by Johnson and a service ace by Hawley to put it away.
 
Bears 25, Royals 21: UPike jumped out to a 6-2 lead and scored in a variety of ways: A block by Hawley and Ayende, a service ace by both Ayende and Hawley and a kill by Rivas. Leading 6-4, the Bears went on another run, this time 9-3, powered by three kills by Theresa Romero, to lead 15-7. The Royals then scored five unanswered points thanks to kills by Kallie Powell and Kaitlyn Wilkerson to pull within three (15-12). Johnson pulled within one at 21-20 on a kill by Ramiyah Thompson before UPike scored four of the last five points, getting kills by Chapman, Romero and the winner by Hawley.
 
Bears 26, Royals 24: The Bears had their backs against the wall, trailing 24-22 after a Bell kill. But a kill by Rivas (24-23) put the ball in the hands of Barton, and another kill by Rivas tied the score. After a Johnson timeout, Barton recorded a service ace and then set Romero for the kill and the win.