WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (16-12, 11-3 CIAA) gave it all they had, but the team did not quite have enough as they took a four-set loss to the Shaw Lady Bears (17-11, 12-2 CIAA), Monday evening. The Rams showed some fight in all four sets of the match, but the team could quite get the points they needed as the team fell short, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, and 23-25.

The Rams took the loss in spite of a strong overall effort, but the team struggled with some key points that proved costly throughout the match. As a team, the Rams totaled 50 kills in the match with three players recording double-digit kills. WSSU senior middle blocker Jocelyn Mills led the way with 13 kills for the Rams while junior right side hitter Jasmine Smith added 11 kills and senior outside hitter Teynia Shepherd added 10 kills. Defensively, sophomore middle blocker Christa Brown led the way for the Rams with six total blocks (two solo) and four digs. Freshman libero Mikayla Lytton added 12 digs in the match.

The opening set was the most impressive for the Rams as the team claimed its sole set win of the match. The match was tough from the very beginning when the Rams claimed a 7-5 lead after a Shepherd service ace and a Shaw attack error, but the Rams allowed four straight points to the Lady Bears to fall behind, 7-9. However, the team bounced back with back-to-back scores after a Smith kill and a block from Mills and Shepherd tied the set, 11-11. From there, the two teams battled back and forth with neither team leading by more than two points until a Shepherd kill was followed by a service ace from junior setter Mya Snow gave the Rams a 23-20 lead that held up as the Rams allowed just two more points to the Lady Bears before a kill from Brown sealed the 25-22 set victory.

The second set was a much tougher battle for the Rams as the team overcame an early slump, but managed to keep things close before ultimately taking the tough set loss. The Rams fell behind 6-2 after allowing an early run by the Lady Bears, but the team fought back in a big way when a 6-2 WSSU run tied the set, 8-8 after a Shaw attack error. Later in the set, the Rams ran off three straight points to claim their first lead, 11-9 after a pair of Shaw attack errors. After building a three-point lead, 15-12, the Rams soon found themselves trailing once again when the team allowed the Lady Bears to score four straight points a fell behind, 18-21. The Rams were able pull to within one point of the Lady Bears when sophomore outside hitter Mia Herrod recorded a kill and a solo block that gave WSSU A 21-20 lead. However, the Rams allowed a 4-1 run by the Lady Bears that sealed the 21-25 second set loss and tied the match a 1-1.

The third set turned out to be another thriller as the Rams built an early lead, but fell short to another late run from the Lady Bears. The Rams jumped out to an early 8-5 lead after a four-point run that included a pair of kills from Herrod and another from Shepherd. The Rams were able to hold on to their lead at 10-8, but fell victim to a four-point Shaw run that left the team trailing, 10-12. The Rams would reclaim the lead with a 3-1 run that included a pair of kills from Mills and another from Smith and put the team on top, 15-14. After keeping the Lady Bears at bay, 22-21, the Rams allowed three straight Shaw points to close out the third set, 22-25.

The key loss of the set may not have been on the scoreboard as the Rams' sophomore outside hitter Mia Herrod suffered an ankle injury that sidelined her for the remainder of the match.

The fourth set saw the best and worst efforts of the night as the team overcame a terrible start for a thrilling late rally in the tough loss. The Rams struggled to start the match with Shaw building a 5-1 lead. The Rams would fall behind by as many as 10 points, 8-18 before a thrilling rally to make revive the dormant crowd late in the match. The Rams got things started with a 4-1 run that included a pair of Mills kills and cut the WSSU deficit down to just seven points, 12-19. The real excitement came a little later in the set as the Rams mounted an eight-point run that cut the WSSU deficit down to just three points, 20-23. The run included a pair of Mills kills as well as a pair of kills from Smith. The Rams were not done as the team recorded back-to-back scores on a bad Shaw set and a service ace from Roselyn Mitchell. However a Shaw block ended the match and gave the Rams the 23-25 set loss as well as the 1-3 match loss.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 16-12 and 11-3 in CIAA play. The loss marked the first time since 2012 that the team took a season sweep from a CIAA opponent. The Rams will return to action, Monday when the team heads to Charlotte, N.C. to return to action and to take on the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls. 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.