WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Winston-Salem State University women's volleyball team (11-5, 7-2 CIAA) closed the 2026 CIAA Round-Up #1 with a pair of straight-set victories Sunday, defeating Bowie State 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-17) before sweeping Virginia Union 3-0 (25-23, 25-8, 25-18) in the final match of the weekend.
The Rams finished the CIAA Round-Up #1 with a 5-1 record. Senior [
Jewel Pitt] added a milestone in the final match, recording her 1,000th career dig to become the latest Ram to reach the career mark.
GAME ONE | Winston-Salem State, 3 - Bowie State, 0
WSSU opened Sunday's action with a straight-set victory over Bowie State, finishing with 39 kills and a .236 hitting percentage. The Rams also recorded six service aces, marking their third consecutive match with at least six aces.
SET 1 | Bowie State jumped out to a 10-2 lead before WSSU rallied behind kills from
Kamiyah Wilson,
Zoe Chesson,
Aria Caldwell and
Holiday Ellis. The Rams eventually tied the set at 16-16 before Ellis, Caldwell and Chesson helped WSSU close on a 7-0 stretch to take the opener 25-21.
SET 2 | The Rams battled through another back-and-forth set, overcoming a 14-12 Bowie State lead and later trailing 20-18. WSSU answered with an Ellis kill and two Bowie State setting errors to take a 21-20 lead before Wilson added two kills down the stretch. A Bowie State bad set closed the 25-23 victory.
SET 3 | After Bowie State took an 11-9 lead, WSSU responded with six straight points behind three service aces from
Kalyn Cuthbertson and kills from Wilson and Ellis. The Rams continued to pull away, building a 20-12 advantage before closing the match 25-17.
Top Performers vs. Bowie State
- Kamiyah Wilson: 11 kills, .474 hitting, 2 blocks, 12 points
- Holiday Ellis: 11 kills, 8 digs, 1 block, 11.5 points
- Zaria Keys: 16 assists, 1 kill, 1 service ace
- Kalyn Cuthbertson: 3 service aces, 10 digs, 2 assists
- Zoe Chesson: 5 kills, .833 hitting, 3 blocks, 7.5 points
GAME TWO | Winston-Salem State, 3 - Virginia Union, 0
WSSU closed the CIAA Round-Up #1 with another sweep, defeating Virginia Union 25-23, 25-8, 25-18.
SET 1 | Virginia Union built a 20-16 lead before the Rams rallied with four straight points on
Jewel Pitt's serve. A Cuthbertson-Chesson block, a Pitt service ace and kills from Cuthbertson and Ellis helped WSSU take a 23-21 lead. Ellis put the Rams at set point before a Panthers service error closed the 25-23 victory.
SET 2 | After Virginia Union cut WSSU's lead to 6-5, the Rams exploded with a 10-0 run to take a 16-5 advantage.
Kamiyah Wilson served for the final nine points of the run as WSSU pulled away for a 25-8 victory.
SET 3 | WSSU opened the final set with a 6-1 lead and maintained control throughout the frame. After Virginia Union pulled within 10-8, the Rams answered with four of the next five points and continued to extend their advantage. Ellis added back-to-back kills before Caldwell and Wilson helped close the match, 25-18.
Top Performers vs. Virginia Union
- Holiday Ellis: 21 kills, .415 hitting, 23 points, 2 service aces
- Kalyn Cuthbertson: 14 digs, 3 assists, 1 block assist
- Zaria Keys: 18 assists, 9 digs
- Aria Caldwell: 7 kills, 10 digs, .250 hitting
- Sarah Sanders: 6 kills, .417 hitting, 1 solo block
UP NEXT
The Rams return to action Thursday, Oct. 8, hosting Livingstone College at 6 p.m. inside Whitaker Gymnasium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
For more information on Winston-Salem State Athletics and its 12 varsity sports, visit wssurams.com.
