CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio – UPIKE volleyball ended the 2024 regular season with a 3-1 road victory over Ohio Christian University Friday evening.
Set 1: Ohio Christian 25, UPIKE 19
UPIKE and OCU split the first 20 points of set one. After UPIKE went up 11-10, the Trail Blazers went on a 6-1 run. The Bears cut the lead to 20-18 later in the set, but OCU put the set away and took a 1-0 match lead after going on a 5-1 run.
Set 2: UPIKE 26, Ohio Christian 24
UPIKE came out on fire early in set two, jumping out to a 13-4 lead. Later, the Bears led 17-10 before OCU went on a 13-2 run. Trailing 23-19, UPIKE stormed back to tie the set at 24-24 after a block and a kill by Olivia Chapman and a pair of kills from Theresa Romero. Cassidy Rivas recorded a kill to put the Bears up 25-24 and Chapman ended set two with a service ace. UPIKE took set two 26-24 and tied the match 1-1.
Set 3: UPIKE 25, Ohio Christian 14
Led by three consecutive serving aces by Lanie Hawley, UPIKE jumped out to an early 7-1 lead. Later, the Trail Blazers cut the lead to 13-9, only for the Bears to pull away. Lead by a pair of kills from Hawley and a serving ace from Aspen Braaten, UPIKE went on a 6-1 run. The Bears used the momentum they gained from that run to close out the set. Tylie Barton had the final kill of set three, putting the Bears up 2-1 in the match.
Set 4: UPIKE 25, Ohio Christian 22
After a back-and-forth start to set four, OCU went on a 7-1 run to go up 15-10. UPIKE roared back with an 8-3 run to tie the score at 18-18. The Trail Blazers scored the next two points, then the Bears countered and closed out the set on a 7-2 run. UPIKE took advantage of multiple OCU attacking errors en route to a 25-22 set four victory and a 3-1 match victory.
Olivia Chapman led UPIKE in kills (15) and blocks (5.0). UPIKE had ten serving aces against the Trail Blazers, led by Cassidy Rivas with four, followed by Lanie Hawle with three. Rivas was also second in kills. Tylie Barton had a game-high 40 assists and Ashtyn Filkins led the defense with 31 digs.
Volleyball finishes the regular season with a record of 18-12 (12-9 AAC). Next up for the Bears is the 2024 AAC Volleyball Tournament, but the Bears' opponent is TBA.
#BearDown
