WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Winston-Salem State women's volleyball team (5-4, 1-1 CIAA) defeated Bluefield State 3-2 on Thursday Night inside Whitaker Gymnasium. After taking the first two sets 25-19 and 25-18 and dropping the next two 19-25 and 24-26, the Rams closed the match with a 16-14 fifth-set win.
The Rams created early separation by winning seven of eight rallies, moving from 3-1 to 10-2 with kills from
Angelica Turnage,
Kalyn Cuthbertson and
Aria Caldwell during the stretch. WSSU kept the margin intact through the middle of the set, including a
Zoe Chesson service ace for a 15-7 lead.
Holiday Ellis recorded the Rams' final point on a kill from
Zaria Keys, and WSSU took the first set 25-19.
In the second set, the Rams broke an 11-11 tie with four straight points, getting a Chesson kill, an Ellis kill from Keys and back-to-back Caldwell aces to move ahead 15-11. After Bluefield State later scored four straight to get to 22-18, WSSU closed the set with a
Jewel Pitt kill, an Ellis ace and a
Kamiyah Wilson/Caldwell block for a 25-18 win.
WSSU was even with B-State at 12-12 after a Wilson kill, but Bluefield State pushed ahead to 20-13 and kept control of the set. Ellis and Turnage helped the Rams cut the gap to 22-18 with three straight kills, but BLU closed out the third set 25-19.
The Rams could not close out the fourth set, as B-State came back from a 23-19 deficit and scored the final three points for a 26-24 set loss. Earlier, WSSU built a 10-3 lead with a six-point run, highlighted by kills from Turnage, Caldwell and Ellis and a service ace while Pitt served.
WSSU closed the fifth set by winning the final four points, turning a 14-12 Bluefield State edge into a 16-14 set finish. Turnage delivered three straight kills in that closing stretch, with assists from Keys and Ellis, before a BLU attack error ended the set.
Rams Top Performers
Holiday Ellis
- 22 kills
- 23.5 points
- 15 digs
Zaria Keys
- 48 assists
- team-high 23 digs
- 1 service ace
Kalyn Cuthbertson
- 21 digs
- 1 service ace
Angelica Turnage
- 16 kills
- .412 hitting percentage
- 16.0 points
Kamiyah Wilson
- team-high 5 blocks, including 2 solo
- 7 kills
- .333 hitting percentage
- 10.5 points
Up Next
The Rams travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to face Johnson C. Smith University on Monday, Sept. 28, at 6 p.m., inside Brayboy Gymnasium
For more information on Winston-Salem State Athletics and its 12 varsity sports, visit wssurams.com.
