Box Score WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (1-4, 1-0 CIAA) opened Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play with a bang taking a 3-0 win over the Shaw Lady Bears (0-1). The Lady Rams used an offensive explosion to take the three-set win, 25-8, 25-11, and 25-11.
As a team, the experienced Lady Rams notched 16 service aces with junior defensive specialist Alexandria Brown leading the way with five while senior opposite side Erica Cole added four. Fellow senior Ashley Harris led the Lady Rams with 10 kills and just three attack errors in the match. Sophomore setter Kiara Brown coordinated the WSSU attack with 20 assists. She also added a pair of service aces.
The short-handed Lady Bears were led by hitter Sharetta Riggins who recorded six kills in the match. Setter Ashley Johnson added seven assists.
The Lady Rams got things going early with a dominating 25-8 win in the opening set of the match. After opening the match with a shaky start and allowing the Lady Bears to jump out to an early 3-1 lead, the Lady Rams rattled off nine unanswered points to take control of the match, 10-3. The Lady Rams remained in control of the match with a as a pair of back-to-back service aces by Cole put the Lady Rams ahead 20-6. Shaw would make one last stand, however, with a pair of consecutive scores late in the match, but a kill by sophomore hitter Adrianne Alexander would seal the WSSU opening set win.
The second set saw a more competitive effort by both teams with the Lady Rams pulling out the 25-11 win. The Lady Rams opened the set with a strong effort, taking an early 5-1 lead. Senior middle blocker Georgette Allen led the way with three service aces in the rotation. Shaw would respond in a big way as three straight service aces pulled the Lady Bears into the set as the Lady Rams held a 6-5 lead. WSSU senior outside hitter LaKeisha Hawes would snap the run, however, with a kill that put the Lady Rams back in control, 7-5. The kill sparked a 7-0 run by the Lady Rams as the team forced five Shaw hitting errors during the stretch and took a 13-5 lead in the set. With the set well in hand, the Lady Rams doubled their opponents' output in the remainder of the set, 12-6 to seal the 25-11 win.
The final set of the match was another competitive one as the team took a 25-11 win to seal the match victory. The match opened with a shaky start on both sides of the court as both teams were called out of rotation on the first three serves of the match. The Lady Rams were able to take advantage of the situation to take a 2-1 lead in the set. Once things settled, the Lady Rams were able to take control of the match with 14 unanswered points to jump ahead 14-4. The Lady Rams eased up their efforts a bit as the team allowed four straight Shaw scores. In a fitting manner, the Lady Rams sealed the win with a service ace by junior setter Asia Carr.
Wednesday's win will give the Lady Rams some needed momentum as the team hosts into the weekend's CIAA Round-Up. For more information on Lady Rams volleyball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.
