By Antoine Lynch & Anthony Jeffries

RALEIGH, NC --Mallory Brown and Noelani Beard each secured double-doubles to help propel the Shaw University volleyball team to a 3-0 win (25-9, 25-20, 25-21) against the Claflin University Panthers Monday at home at CC Spaulding Gymnasium.

The win improved the Lady Bears' record to 22-7 overall and advances Shaw to the semifinals of the CIAA Tournament Friday evening in Salem, VA. 

The Lady Bears were led by double-doubles from both Beard, who had 10 kills and 16 digs, and Brown, who had 14 kills and 12 digs. Ilani Myers also added 10 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, Kamille Patrick chipped in with 16 digs. 

Game Notes

» Shaw had three players in double figures in kills.
» Shaw had four players in double figures in digs.
» Kaylin Evans had a team-high two aces in the win.
» Shaw put together a strong attacking performance, notching 50 kills in the match.
» Shaw never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-9.
» Mallory Brown had a match-high 14 kills for Shaw.
» Shaw got a match-high 16 digs from Kamille Patrick.
» Shaw attackers were helped by a match-high 43 assists from Breelyn Clark.

How It Happened

SET 1 | The Lady Bears won the first point and never looked back to secure the first set 25-9. Shaw led by 17 points at 24-7 before closing out the set, totaling 18 kills without registering an attack error in the process. Shaw also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set.

SET 2 | Shaw carried momentum from a set-one win by securing a 25-20 victory in the second set. The Lady Bears grabbed the advantage for good at 21-20 in a set that showcased four lead changes before the Shaw took over in the second half of the stanza. The Shaw offense also got a boost from three aces in the middle set. 

SET 3 | Shaw then ended the match with a victory in set number three. The Lady Bears won the third set 25-21. Shaw took the lead for good at 16-15 in a set that featured nine ties and five lead changes. The Shaw offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.

Post Game Quotes 
 

Jonathan Paulk

Head Coach

"We came out and played really well out the gate at the beginning of the first set. We dropped one error and it really showed in the score. The second and third [sets], Claflin picked up their level of play. They served great. Our serving fell off a little bit, we had some misses. But when it got down to crunch time, our [CIAA] offensive player of the year, our setter of the year, our four [All-CIAA] first team players, our three second team players and our all-rookie team player showed why they earned those awards. They closed it out at crunch time so that's what counts."

"I didn't expect the first set to go as easy as it did. I don't know how Claflin ended up fourth in the South because they are a good team. I thought coming into the year, they would finish around second. They are better than a traditional eighth seed."

"I am glad we had a competitive match. I am glad that it kinda prepped us to be in a situation where it is tight at the end of a set, where you're down some points and making sure that you can still close it out versus if we had won everything easily and we come into a tight match [in the CIAA Tournament]."

Mallory Brown

Senior Outside Hitter

Led the Lady Bears with 14 kills

"I knew Claflin was going to come in really hungry. I knew they would come out with a lot of energy so we had to come out with a lot of energy as well. The crowd helped a lot."

"The passing and the other hitters - Kamille [Patrick] and Noelani [Beard] – were doing really well. It helps pull the blockers so I had more opportunities to score."

Kamille Patrick

Sophomore Middle Hitter

Had 8 kills and 16 digs

"Being No. 1, everyone wants to take you down. They want that big upset. Our No. 1 goal is to stay on top."

"It is good to start off like this. If we didn't, we would run into this issue later. That is not the time to make the many mistakes that we made in this game. I'm glad we got it out the way so that we know what to fix and what to do going forward."

Up Next

The Lady Bears will face the Winston-Salem State University Rams Friday in the CIAA semifinals . First serve is TBA from inside the Salem Civic Center.