RALEIGH, N.C. – In what was supposed to be a pivotal matchup between two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division teams in Shaw University and Fayetteville State University, the Lady Bears were swept at home for the first time since 2015 as the Lady Broncos earned straight sets in front a packed Spaulding Gymnasium.

The loss snapped an eight-game winning-streak for Shaw (14-9, 14-2 CIAA) and serves as the first home loss this season for the Lady Bears in 2019.

For Fayetteville State, the Lady Broncos (14-6, 14-1 CIAA) claim the division title with a 9-1 mark while Shaw drops to second at 9-2.

Every set was close except for the first stanza as the Lady Broncos took a 6-1 capped by a kill from Diamond Holmes. Shaw had to play catch the rest of the way but by then, FSU had mounted a 22-11 charge before securing the 25-16

win with a service error from the Lady Bears.

After eight ties in the second set, FSU scored three-straight to lead 15-12 over Shaw before a kill from senior Amari Fletcher (Phoenix, AZ) cut the deficit to the two. Shaw closed the gap to two points when the score showed 18-16 in favor of the Lady Broncos, but the Lady Bears fell behind after FSU used a 7-3 spread for the 25-19 win over Shaw heading into the third.

Facing a 2-0 deficit and desperate to stay alive, Shaw owned a 14-9 lead and would sustain a lead of at least three points until back-to-back points for FSU pulled the Lady Broncos 21-20. After a Shaw timeout, FSU tied the set at 21-21 and then the lead changed twice before a kill from Homes gave the Lady Broncos the one-point edge. Both teams exchanged points during the next two possessions as Shaw had an opportunity to come back, but defensively the Lady Bears was not able to hang on, faulting the 25-23 set.

Shaw was led by senior Tyler Hunter (Atlanta, GA) and Fletcher with 12 kills apiece while sophomore Jada Flowers (Valrico, FL) had 25 assists.  Graduate senior Emma Celentano (Raleigh, NC) paced the Lady Bears defensively with 11 digs while senior Karla Sosa (Brownsville, TX) recorded 10 stops.

The Lady Bears will close out the regular season with senior day against Saint Augustine's on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. in Spaulding.  

For the most up-to-date information on Shaw athletics and its 13 varsity sport teams, please visit www.shawbears.com.