PIKEVILLE, Ky. – The Bluefield University women's volleyball team won the opening set but was unable to defeat Pikeville in an Appalachian Athletic Conference contest Tuesday evening.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 4-2 on the season and 1-2 in AAC play, while Pikeville improves to 6-8 overall and 3-0 in conference competition.

Set 1
Five different Rams scored to give BU the first five points of the match for an early 5-4 lead. A kill from junior middle hitter Morgan Wigg and an ace from freshman defensive specialist Sienna Vitelli maintained the edge at 7-6. UPike then pulled ahead and led 20-17 late in the frame, but a kill from junior right side Ella Gawellek sparked a five-point run that put Bluefield back in front, 22-20. Gawellek capped the surge with two kills and a service ace. Kills from senior middle hitter Abbey Boehm and Wigg sealed the 25-21 set win and a 1-0 Bluefield advantage.

Set 2
An early run put the Bears ahead 7-4, but senior right side Rachel Sasson and senior outside hitter Liangelys Santana helped BU close the gap. The Rams rattled off four straight points—including three Pikeville errors and an ace from Santana—to tie it at 10-10. Boehm and Santana added kills late, but a closing run by the Bears evened the match, 25-16.

Set 3
The Bears built another early lead, but Sasson, Santana, and senior middle hitter Camille Gonzalez Rivera pulled BU within one at 11-10. From there, Pikeville controlled the set and took a 2-1 match lead with a 25-18 win.

Set 4
A solo block by Wigg kickstarted a Bluefield rally early in the fourth set, cutting the deficit to 9-7. BU stayed close by scoring five of the next nine points, trailing just 13-11. Pikeville then stretched its lead to seven, but Santana and freshman setter Kylee Sturgill combined for five late points to pull the Rams within striking distance. The Bears ultimately closed out the set 25-22 and secured the 3-1 victory.

Match Stats
Santana recorded 12 kills and a season-high 24 digs for her fourth straight double-double. She also led BU with three service aces. Wigg added two blocks, while senior defensive specialist Eledy Torres tallied 22 digs.

Bluefield opens a two-game homestand by hosting Johnson September 26 at 6:30 p.m. inside The Dome Gymnasium.