CONCORD, WV – The Winston-Salem State Rams (15-10) struggled mightily when the team took a three-set loss to the Concord Mountain Lions (13-11), Saturday afternoon. The points were hard to come by for the Rams as the team fell, 14-25, 17-25, and 23-25.

As a team, the Rams struggled on offense with 34 total kills in the match. WSSU junior setter Jasmine Smith led the way for the Rams with eight kills while sophomore Mia Herrod added eight kills as well. Junior defensive specialist Michelle Murray-Garcia led the way with 10 digs for the Rams.

Things got tough early for the Rams as the team took a tough loss in the opening set. WSSU opened the set, allowing the Mountain Lions to take an 8-1 lead to open the set. The Rams were able to climb back into the set when a kill from sophomore middle blocker Christa Brown capped a 5-2 run by the Rams that cut the WSSU lead down to five points, 11-16. However, the Rams were only able to manage three more points in the remainder of the set as Rams allowed Concord to pull away with the 25-14 opening set victory.

The second set was another struggle for the Rams, but the team showed a much improved effort in the loss. The Rams opened the set with a 4-4 tie after a kill from Herrod. After keeping the Mountain Lions within a point, 7-8, the Rams fell victim to a six-point run by the Mountain Lions to fall behind 13-8. The Rams were able to climb back into the set when the team scored three straight points, capped by another Herrod kill that pulled the Rams to within two points, 11-13. The Rams kept their deficit at two points, 12-14 before Concord mounted a 5-1 run that left the Rams trailing, 13-20. For the remainder of the set, the Rams would never get any closer than points, 15-20 after a kill from Holland. From there, the Rams would get no closer and took the 17-25 loss.

The third set was another great effort by the Rams, but the team came up just short in the tough loss. Things got tough for the Rams as the team fell behind, 1-8. However, the Rams climbed back into the set when a Herrod kill capped a 14-7 WSSU run that pulled the Rams to within a point of the Mountain Lions, 15-16. However, Concord staged another three-point run that left the Rams trailing, 15-19. The high point of the entire match came a little later with the Rams staging a four-point rally that put the team on top, 21-20 after a kill from freshman outside hitter Eboni Abdus-Samad. The two teams would play to a 22-22 tie before another 3-1 run by the Mountain Lions ended the match for the Rams. A kill from Abdus-Samad highlighted the late rally by the Rams.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 15-10 overall. The team will return to action, Tuesday when they head to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the Saint Augustine's Falcons in a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division match.

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.