RALEIGH, NC – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (11-10, 10-3 CIAA) gave it their all, but the team fell short in a tough loss to the Saint Augustine's Falcons (8-13, 6-7 CIAA). The match turned out to be an offensive showdown as both teams found kills, but the Lady Rams could not find the points when they needed them and the team finished the evening with the five-set loss, 26-28, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15, 13-15.

Both teams gave great offensive efforts as the Lady Rams and Falcons combined for 121 kills. The Lady Rams totaled 60 kills in the match, including 19 in the dominating fourth set. WSSU freshman outside hitter Sydney Holland led the way for the Lady Rams with a double-double 21 kills and 18 digs while fellow freshman outside hitter Jasmine Smith added 18 kills. Junior right side hitter Olivia Owens added 11 kills with six total blocks (two solo). Senior setter Kayla Brass topped off the effort with 49 assists in the match.

The match got off to a dynamic opening set as the two teams battled back-and-forth. After asserting themselves, the Lady Rams found themselves holding an 18-12 lead. However, the Lady Rams soon had to fend off the Falcons after a 12-6 SAU run left the set tied 24-24. From there, the momentum continued to swing to the Falcons and the Lady Rams soon took the 26-28 opening set loss.

Though down, the Lady Rams were soon able to regain their bearings a bounced back for an impressive second set effort. After playing to a 9-9 tie, the Lady Rams took control of the set with an 8-4 run that put the team on top, 17-13. The Lady Rams soon found themselves challenged once again as the Falcons cut the WSSU lead to just one point, 18-17. It was then that the Lady Rams would answer the challenge when they closed out the set with a 7-3 run.

The momentum swung back to the other side of the court in the third set when the Lady Rams fell, 22-25. After playing to an 8-8 tie, the Lady Rams fell victim to a 7-0 run by the Falcons and trailed, 8-15. Undaunted, the Lady Rams clawed their way back into the set when they scored four straight points in a run that included kills from both Smith and Holland to claim a 20-19 lead. From there, the Falcons would answer with a 6-3 run that closed out the set for the Lady Rams.

After falling behind two sets to one, the Lady Rams stepped up to the challenge and tied the match with a dominating fourth set. After battling to a 9-9 tie, the Lady Rams took outscored the Falcons 16-5 to close out the set and set the stage for a thrilling five-set. In the fifth set, the Lady Rams and Falcons battled for each point as the score soon stood tied, 13-13. From there, an SAU kill and a WSSU attack error ended the match for the Lady Rams.

With the loss, the Lady Rams fall to 11-10 and 10-3 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The team also falls to 5-2 in the CIAA Southern Division. The team will return to action, Wednesday evening when they host Lees-McRae in a non-conference home match. For more information on Lady Rams volleyball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.