ATHENS, Tenn. - The University of Pikeville women's volleyball team earned a hard-fought road sweep Friday night, defeating Tennessee Wesleyan 3-0 at James L. Robb Gymnasium. The Bears claimed the match with set victories of 25-20, 31-29 and 25-23.
UPIKE opened the match with a strong first set, building a 19-13 advantage behind its attacking offense. Tennessee Wesleyan rallied to cut the deficit to 20-18, but the Bears responded with a four-point run to move within one point of the set. UPIKE closed out the frame, 25-20, to take the early lead.
The second set proved to be the night's most competitive stretch, with both teams trading points throughout. After falling behind 24-22, the Bears fought back to even the score at 24-all and force extra points. UPIKE continued to withstand the Bulldogs' challenges, eventually breaking through for a 31-29 victory to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Tennessee Wesleyan pushed to extend the match in the third set, holding a 19-14 advantage late in the frame. The Bears responded with a determined rally, using a series of kills to close the gap and eventually tie the set at 20-20. After the Bulldogs regained a narrow lead, UPIKE answered to knot the score at 22-22. A block by JLynn Risner helped the Bears pull even at 23-23 before consecutive Tennessee Wesleyan attack errors secured the 25-23 set victory and completed the sweep.
Cassidy Rivas led the UPIKE attack with 12 kills, adding six digs and 14 points. Allyah Tokelau followed with 11 kills and three block assists, while Lanie Hawley contributed seven kills, two service aces and two total blocks.
Chloie Brinton orchestrated the offense with 36 assists and added 16 digs. With her impressive night, she reaches 1,000 assists on the year. Baylee Moore recorded 14 digs, while Lillian Carpenter chipped in 13 digs to help anchor the Bears' defensive effort.
UPIKE finished the match with 40 kills and 65 digs, while holding Tennessee Wesleyan to a .049 hitting percentage. The Bears also recorded 12 total blocks to help secure the straight-set victory on the road.
The Bears return to the court Saturday, Oct. 24, traveling to Dayton, Tenn., to face Bryan College. First serve is set for 1 p.m. ET.
--UPIKE--
