RALEIGH, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (11-6, 7-2 CIAA) came up just short in a four-set loss to the Shaw Lady Bears (12-5, 9-0 CIAA), Thursday evening. In a match that was a rematch of the 2016 CIAA championship match, the Rams had a different outcome against the Lady Bears, falling 21-25, 25-22, 19-25, and 22-25.

The Rams took the loss in spite of a strong overall effort with the team totaling 32 kills, but the team struggled with 24 attack errors. WSSU junior setter Jasmine Smith led the way for the Rams with 10 kills and nine assists in the match. Defensively, freshman libero Mikayla Lytton led the way with 10 digs.

As expected the match was a tough match up from the very beginning with both teams dominating the match at times. The Rams struggled to start the match falling into a 2-8 deficit to start the opening set of the match. The Rams were able to work their way back into the set when the team cut its deficit down to just two points, 21-23 after an 8-2 WSSU run. However, the Rams fell short as a Shaw kill and a WSSU attack error ended the set.

The Rams bounced back in a big way in the second set. The team took control of the set early and never looked back. The Rams jumped ahead early, taking a 7-3 lead over the Lady Bears to open the set. Though the Rams allowed Shaw to pull to within a point of them, 8-7, the Rams would never relent as they went on a 7-1 run later in the set to take control, 20-12. From there, the Rams held off the Lady Bears' relentless attack. Once the score stood tied, 22-22 after a 10-2 run by Shaw, the Rams scored three straight points on a Shaw attack error, a kill from junior outside hitter Sydney Holland, and a block from Smith and sophomore middle blocker Christa Brown.

After taking a 19-25 loss in the third set, the Rams were set to make a stand in the fourth set, but the effort was not quite enough as the team settled for the loss. The Rams did not make it easy for the Lady Bears, however. After allowing the Lady Bears to jump out to a 10-4 lead, the Rams scored five straight points to cut their deficit down to just one point, 9-10. The Rams kept things close, tying the set, 22-22 after a five-point run. However, the Rams allowed three straight kills to the Lady Bears to take the loss.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 11-6 overall and 7-2 in CIAA play. The team also falls to 1-2 in CIAA Southern Division play. The team will return to action, Monday evening when the team hosts the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls on Alumni Night at 7:00 p.m. in Whitaker Gymnasium. 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.