ETTRICK, VA – The Winston-Salem State Rams (15-6, 11-1 CIAA) took a strong three-set win over the Elizabeth City State Vikings, Saturday afternoon on the opening day of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Volleyball Round Up. The Rams dominated the match, winning all three sets in 53 minutes, 25-4, 25-12, and 25-8.

The Rams took the win behind a stellar defensive effort as they held the Vikings to 24 total points in the match. As a team, the Rams allowed seven total kills to the Vikings. Offensively, the team totaled 34 kills with four WSSU players notching six kills each in the win. Junior outside hitter Teynia Shepherd, junior Brittani Stewart, junior middle blocker Jocelyn Mills, and sophomore setter Jasmine Smith added six kills each in the match.

The Rams dominated the match from the very beginning as they rattled off a 17-0 run to go ahead 18-1 over the Vikings before closing out the set with a 25-4 win. The second set was the toughest for the Rams as the team teams played to a 5-5 tie before the Rams went on a 14-2 run to go ahead 19-7. The Vikings would kick things into gear with five of the final eight points of the set, but in the end, the Rams finished with the 25-12 set victory. The Rams wasted little time in the third and final set of the match when they held the Vikings to just eight points for the set. After playing to an early 2-2 tie, the Rams took control of the set with 11 straight points to take a 13-2 lead. Elizabeth City State mounted a 3-2 run that left the WSSU lead at 20-7, but the Rams would not be denied when they closed out the set with 5-1 run to seal the victory.

With the win, the Rams improve to 15-6 overall and 11-1 in CIAA play. The Rams will close out the CIAA Round-Up with an 11:00 a.m. match against the Chowan Hawks. The match will be a battle of division leaders with the top team from the CIAA Northern Division taking on the top team in the CIAA Southern Division.

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.