(Raleigh, NC)- After going up two games to one, the Lady Bears lost to Johnson C. Smith on Wednesday night in a quest for Coach Douglas Hunter's first win at Shaw.

The Lady Bears lost a fifth, and deciding, game 15-9 after winning the second and third games 28-26 and 25-20 respectively.  They dropped the first and fourth games 25-20 and 25-19.

The Lady Bears responded with intensity after the first set loss, led by Sharetta Riggins . Riggins said, "We prepared well tonight. We hustled."

The Lady Bears showed their hustle in the 46 kills and 49 digs the collected in the match. 

Among the team's 49 digs, Riggins had 14, and among the team's 46 kills, she had 19. Along with Riggins' stellar performance, two new stars were born in C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.

Freshman Jeneva Carner from Fayetteville, NC, and freshman Michelle Oliver from Flower Mound, TX, came out attacking. Carner had six kills to go along with three aces and 13 digs. Oliver led the team in service aces with six out of the teams' 15 and ripped off five straight service points in the first game. 

The short-handed Lady Bears who had only eight players on their roster – two of whom had been cleared to play only an hour before the match – held their own through much of the fourth set.

With the game tied 15-15, the Lady Bears gave up six successive points, giving the Lady Golden Bulls a 21-15 lead and a relatively smooth conclusion to that game.  By the fifth set, the Lady Bears appeared out of steam, as JCSU took an easy 15-9 victory.

Even though it was a tough loss for the Lady Bears, they have a lot to look forward to going in to their second CIAA Round-Up in Fayetteville, NC, this weekend. "We have more players this weekend, so I feel that we are going to be better," said Riggins, the Star of the Match.

After this weekend's Round-Up, the Lady Bears will play their next home match on Thursday, September 23 against cross-town rival Saint Augustine's, followed by another home match the next day against North Greenville. Both games will start at 6:00 p.m. at the C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw University campus.

To see highlights of tonight's game, go to youtube.com/user/shawubears. Remember, if you cannot attend the game you can get the highlights on Facebook at SUBears and Twitter at twitter.com/ShawBears.

[Photos:  Jeneva Carner and Michelle Oliver return serves during Shaw's match against JCSU.]