KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - UPIKE volleyball went 1-1 in a doubleheader against Johnson University and Appalachian Bible College Saturday.  

Game 1: Johnson 3, UPIKE 2 

Johnson jumped out to a big lead in set one, then the Bears battled back but came up just short. The Royals took set one 25-22.  

UPIKE bounced back in set two, keeping it close until they brought it within one late in the second. Trailing 22-21, UPIKE scored five of the next seven points, capped off by a service ace by Tylie Barton and a kill by Lanie Hawley to knot the match at 1-1.  

The Bears followed a 26-24 victory in set two with another 26-24 victory in set three. Olivia Chapman recorded a kill to put the Bears up, then ended the set with a serving ace to put UPIKE up 2-1 in the match.  

The Royals would not go away quietly, however, getting off to a very fast start in set four. Johnson scored 16 of the first 22 points. UPIKE made a run late, but Johnson's early lead proved to be too much to overcome, and the Royals forced a fifth set.  

Johnson again came out firing in the fifth set, scoring 12 of the first 15 points. The Royals went on to take set five 15-6 and took the match 3-2.  

Cassidy Rivas led UPIKE with 15 kills and led the back line with 31 digs. Lillian Carpenter had two serving aces. Tylie Barton recorded 45 assists, a new career best while Lanie Hawley had six blocks.  

Game 2: UPIKE 3, Appalachian Bible College 0 

The Bears had a short memory after falling short against Johnson. UPIKE dominated set one against Appalachian Bible, scoring 23 of the first 33 points. Tylie Barton connected with Cassidy Rivas for the final two kills of set one, which the Bears won 25-12.  

Just like set one, UPIKE got off to a fast start. UPIKE found themselves up 11-3 midway through the second set and did not take their foot off the gas. The Bears went on to win the set 25-10 and pushed their match lead to 2-0.  

In set three, the Bears and Warriors traded runs until the midpoint of the set. The Warriors went on a 3-0 run late in the third to go up 19-17, then the Bears countered with a 3-0 to take the lead back. After a service error tied it at 20-20, the Bears closed out the set and the match with a 5-0 run, led by a kill and two serving aces by Cassidy Rivas. UPIKE took the set 25-20 and the match 3-0. 

Cassidy Rivas led UPIKE in kills (13) and serving aces (2). Tylie Barton had a game-high 26 assists and was second on the team with eight digs. Leading UPIKE's defense was Olivia Chapman, who finished the match with nine digs. Chapman also recorded eight kills.  

UPIKE is 6-2 (1-1 AAC) following the results of today's doubleheader. Next up for UPIKE is their 2024 home opener against Milligan University at 6:30 p.m. at the UPIKE Gym.  

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