The Lady Bears couldn't shake off a rough start in the first set and failed to hold off a Converse rally in the third and final set to fall to Converse 3-0 (10-25 – 19-25 and 23-25).

Communication breakdowns caused the Lady Bears to fall behind early which allowed Converse to put the set out of reach quickly.

After regrouping during the break, Shaw mounted a serious rally during the second set by reeling off six straight points. But Converse held them off for the 25-19 set win. 

The Lady Bears got off to a hot start during the third set, leading by as many as seven and forcing Converse to call a timeout. The Valkyries then scored five straight points to force a Shaw timeout. Converse took the lead for good winning the third and decisive set 25-23.

As a whole, the Lady Bears collected 22 kills and 18 assists. Leading the Bears was Ashley Johnson with 15 assists while Crystal Gordon led Shaw with eight kills.

The Lady Bears will return to play Tuesday, September 13, when they travel to Columbia, SC to take on Benedict College.

Article by Antoine Lynch