ETTRICK, VA – The Winston-Salem State Rams (18-14) left nothing on the court, but unfortunately, the effort was not enough as the third-seeded Rams took a four-set loss to the second-seeded Virginia State Trojans in the opening round of the 2016 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Volleyball Championship Tournament, Friday evening. The Rams played a solid match from the start, opening the match with a 25-23 win in the first set, but the team fell short, 16-25, 16-25, and 21-25, in the tough loss.

The Rams gave a strong effort in the match, but the team could not find any answers for the stifling defense of the Trojans. AS a team, the Rams totaled 44 kills in the match, but the team committed 27 attack errors in the match as well. Senior middle blocker Jocelyn Mills recorded a team-high 13 kills in the match while junior outside hitter Jasmine Smith added nine kills. Defensively, the Rams put up a solid performance with freshman libero Makala Lytton leading the team with 17 digs while junior outside hitter Sydney Holland added 12 digs as well. Sophomore middle blocker Christa Brown and senior outside hitter Teynia Shepherd added four total blocks (none solo).

The opening set was the best one for the Rams as it featured the team's only set win of the match. The team opened the set on fire as they jumped out to a 14-7 lead over the Trojans. The Rams benefitted from a five point run that featured a service ace from Shepherd and several VSU attack errors. The Rams soon had to fend off a Virginia State rally when the team allowed five straight points to the Trojans and found their lead trimmed down to just one point, 15-14. A second five-point rally by the Trojans proved costly as well for the Rams as the team found themselves trailing, 18-20, but WSSU would not relent. After keeping the Trojans within reach, 22-23, the Rams took over the set when a Holland kill was followed back back-to-back scores from Mills who had a kill and a solo block that ended the set, 25-23 for the Rams.

The second set was not as much fun for the Rams, however, as the team was outgunned in the 16-25 set loss. It was the Rams who came out slow to open the second set when the team found themselves trailing, 7-15. The team would rally to get back into the set with a 6-1 run that was capped by a Shepherd kill that pulled the Rams to within three points, 13-16. However, things went sour for the Rams in a hurry as the team allowed the Trojans to go on a 9-3 run that sealed the 16-25 set loss.

Unfortunately, the third set was very similar to the second set as the Rams struggled with a slow start and weren't quite able to recover. The Rams opened the set on a down note once again when the team allowed Virginia State to go on a 7-2 run. WSSU would answer, however, when a Mills kill sparked a 5-1 run by the Rams that included three kills and a block assist from Mills. The effort cut the WSSU deficit down to just one point, 7-8. The Rams fell behind one again when Virginia State jumped out to a 17-10 lead over the Rams. Once behind, the Rams were never quite able to get back into the set. The high point of the remainder of the set came when the Rams scored three straight points on kills from freshman middle blocker Bryceline Spidel ws followed by back-to-back kills from Brown that left the score, 16-22. However, Virginia State closed out the set with three straight scores and left the Rams trailing, 1-2.

With their backs against the wall, the Rams responded with a great fourth-set effort, but it was not quite enough. This time, it was the Rams who came out with the strong effort as WSSU jumped out early with a 9-6 lead following a 5-2 run by the Rams. A kill from freshman outside hitter Eboni Abdus-Samad capped the run. However, the Rams allowed Virginia State to regain control of the set with an eight-point run that left the team trailing, 9-14. After a Brown kill snapped the drought, the Rams allowed three more straight points to the Trojans and fell behind 10-17. After falling behind, 13-19, the Rams soon battled their way back into the set when a Mills kill sparked a 4-2 run by the Rams that included a pair of Smith kills. The effort left the Rams trailing, 19-21 with some much needed momentum on their side. Unfortunately, a Smith kill and a VSU attack error was all the offense that the Rams could muster for the remainder of the match as Virginia State closed the set with 4-2 run and sealed the 21-25 WSSU loss.

With the loss, the Rams end the 2016 season with an 18-14 record. 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.