SALISBURY, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (11-5, 8-0 CIAA) remained perfect in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play when the team took an impressive 3-1 road win over the Livingstone Blue Bears (5-9, 2-6 CIAA), Thursday evening. The Rams took the win behind a great offensive effort when they took the 25-9, 20-25, 25-16, and 25-19 win.

In order to take the victory, the Rams combined a stellar offensive effort with some solid defense to take the four-set win. Offensively, the Rams had one of the top performances of the season when the team totaled 53 kills in the match while holding the Blue Bears to just 34 kills. WSSU sophomore outside hitter Sydney Holland led the way for the Rams with 17 kills in the match to go along with five digs. Junior middle blocker Jocelyn Mills added 11 kills with three total blocks (none solo). Junior outside hitter Teynia Shepherd added 13 kills and seven digs. Defensively, the Rams were led by the duo of sophomore libero Michelle Murray-Garcia and sophomore setter Jasmine Smith. Murray-Garcia totaled 25 digs while Smith recorded a double-double with 33 assists and 11 digs.

Though the Rams were dominant at times during the match, the team had to fend off a Livingstone team that refused to quit during the match. The first set was the most impressive effort for the Rams as the team held Livingstone to just nine points. The Rams highlighted the effort with a 12-2 run that ended the opening set. After the opening set effort, the Rams soon found themselves in a battle when Livingstone took a 14-7 lead over the Rams. Though the Rams were able to cut their deficit down to two points, 13-15, the team would never get any closer in the set and finished with the 20-25 loss. The Rams soon stepped up to the challenge in the third set when the team took the 25-16 win. After opening the match by playing to a 7-7 tie, the Rams took control of the set with an 11-1 run that put the team on top, 18-8. From there, the Blue Bears would make a run of their own to cut the WSSU lead down to seven points 21-14, but the Rams would not relent when they closed out the set with a 25-15 victory. In the final set of the match, the Rams had to dig deep to seal their victory. After playing to a 10-10 tie, the Rams allowed four unanswered points to the Blue Bears to fall behind, 10-14. However, the team kicked things into gear with an impressive run. The Rams mounted a 9-2 run to take a 19-16 lead. After pushing their lead to 21-19, the Rams finished the match with a 4-1 run.

With the win, the Rams improve to 11-5 on the season and remain a perfect 8-0 in CIAA play. The Rams will return to action, Monday when the team heads to Fayetteville, N.C. to take on the Fayetteville State Broncos. For more information on Rams volleyball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.