The University of Pikeville rallied after stumbling down the stretch of the first set to beat Bluefield (Tenn.) University 3-1 on Tuesday night at the UPike Gym.
 
The Rams took the first set 25-21 before the Bears won 25-16, 25-18 and 25-22.
 
The win kept the Bears (6-8) unbeaten in league play with a record of 3-0. The Rams slipped to 4-2 overall, 1-2 in the AAC.
 
Sophomore Cassidy Rivas led the Bears with 11 kills. Senior Theresa Romero followed with nine, junior Lanie Hawley eight and senior Gracey Lovgren seven.
 
Junior Chloie Brinton, who has been the AAC setter of the week the last two weeks, recorded 36 assists to go with three service aces. On the defensive side the had 14 digs to also pace the Bears.
 
Hawley was also a force on both sides, picking up five solo blocks and two block assists. Sophomore Olivia Chapman, who had five kills, also had five blocks, three of them of the solo variety. Lovgren was in on four blocks.
 
The Bears will remain home this weekend, playing host to Union Commonwealth University on Friday at 6:30, followed by a Saturday morning meeting with Johnson (Tenn.) University at 11.
 
Rams 25, Bears 21: The first set was so tight the score was 12-10 before a team led by more than one point and 20-17 before the lead surpassed two. Both belonged to the Bears, but after the second one Bluefield scored eight of the final nine points to take an early 1-0 lead.
 
Bears 25, Rams 16: Unlike the first set, UPike jumped out to a 7-2 lead early before Bluefield rallied to tie the score at 10. But the Bears scored the next eight points, which included consecutive services aces by Brinton. The Bears closed it out with five of the last six points, including consecutive kills by sophomore Olivia Chapman to close it out.
 
Bears 25, Rams 18: The first extended run of the third set saw the Bears score four straight to take a 7-3 lead. The Rams immediately responded, scoring four of the next five to pull within one at 8-7. Leading 12-11, UPike scored eight of the next nine points, including six straight off serves by Hawley, and then closed it out with three straight, getting consecutive kills by Romero and the final one by Lovgren.
 
Bears 25, Rams 22: After Bluefield scored the first two points, UPike went on a 7-1 run with Romero serving for the last five. Brinton served for four straight points, coming on a service ace and consecutive kills by Romero and Lovgren to make it 16-10. A kill by sophomore Cassidy Rivas pushed the lead to 21-14 before the Rams rallied, pulling within two at 24-20 before an attack error gave the Bears the win.