By james art
PETERSBURG, Va. —The Bowie State women’s volleyball team fell in four sets 3-1 (19-25, 13-25, 25-21, 17-25) to the Winston-Salem Rams (2-14, 2-11 CIAA) but rallied to win over Johnson C. Smith (4-10, 1-9 CIAA) in four sets 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 25-21, 26-24) as Bulldogs (8-16, 5- 6 CIAA) went 2-1 to complete the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Round II at the VSU Multipurpose Center.
GAME 1 | Winston-Salem, 3 – Bowie State, 1
BSU won just one set as it fell short of the Winston-Salem Rams (2-14, 2-11 CIAA) in four sets 3-1 (19-25, 13-25, 25-21,17-25) Saturday morning inside the VSU Multipurpose Center. Nicole Taylor finished with eight kills on the day to lead the Bulldog offense while finishing with a .294 hitting percentage. Taylor Johnson led the team in defense with 23 tackles.
Game notes
» McKenna Scott had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Bowie State never trailed en route to winning the third set 25-21.
» Taylor had a team-best eight kills for Bowie State.
» Bowie State received 23 carries from Johnson.
» Bowie State’s forwards were aided by a team-best 13 assists from Haley Pelham.
How it happened
SET 1 | The Bulldogs fell behind early, losing a tough first set 25-19. Bowie State trailed by as many as six points as Winston-Salem grabbed the advantage for good at 17-16 in a set that was scored three times before the Rams took the win in the second half of the stanza.
SET 2 | Bowie State then dropped the second set 25-13 to fall behind in the match two sets to nil. The Bulldogs lost the first point and battled from behind the rest of the way before dropping the set.
SET 3 | Bowie State battled back to pull within two sets to one, winning its first set of the match in the third stanza. The Bulldogs scored first and never trailed in the set to secure a 25-21 win. Bowie State opened up a lead of as many as 10 points at 21-11 before closing out the set.
SET 4 | Bowie State could not sustain the rally and fell in the fourth set 25-17 to lose the match. The Bulldogs couldn’t survive a furious rally between Winston and Salem, falling after leading by seven points at 9-2 earlier in the set.
GAME 2 | Bowie State, 3 – Johnson K. Smith, 1
The Bowie State women’s volleyball team defeated the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls (4-10, 1-9 CIAA) in four sets 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 25-21, 26-24) on Sunday to ended the evening. The Bulldogs were led with a double-double by Shaska Daviswho recorded a season-high 13 kills and 11 digs on the day. Nina Edwards also added 13 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Taylor Johnson chipped in 22 trenches and Madison Brinson complete with three blocks.
Game notes
» Bowie State had three players in double figures in kills.
» Bowie State had three players in double figures in digs.
» Iman Wright had a team-high two aces in the win.
» Davis recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs
» Bowie State never trailed en route to winning the fourth set 26-24.
» Davis had a team-high 13 kills for Bowie State.
» Bowie State got a matching 22 digs from Johnson.
» Bowie State’s forwards were aided by a team-best 18 assists from Trinity Loundmon.
How it happened
SET 1 | The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead, easily winning the first set 25-18. Bowie State never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 8-7 in a set that featured three lead changes before the Bulldogs took over. got a solid defensive performance from the first line that blocked four Johnson C. Smith attacks in the stanza.
SET 2 | Bowie State then fell in the second set 25-17, tying the match at one set each. Bowie State trailed by as many as eight points until Johnson C. Smith grabbed the advantage for good at 5-4 in a set that was tied four times before the Golden Bulls took the lead.
SET 3 | Bowie State put the second-set deficit behind them to take a 2-1 lead in the match with a third-set victory. The Bulldogs won the set 25-21, powered by a solid performance from the attacking side. Bowie State compiled a .350 hitting percentage with 17 kills in the set win. After the lead changed hands three times, the Bulldogs took control for good at 19-18 and rode that advantage to victory.
SET 4 | Bowie State kept the momentum going, closing out the match with a 26-24 set four win. The Bulldogs led from the opening point on into the set to earn the win. Bowie State opened up an eight-point lead at 23-15 before closing out the stanza, totaling 15 kills in the set.
Next up
The Bulldogs will travel to Millersville, PA on Tuesday, October 29th for a non-conference game against Millersville at 7:00 pm at Pucillo Gymnasium.
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State University Athletics and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.bsubuldogs.com.