BOWIE, MD -- The Shaw volleyball team took care of business in three sets (25-22, 25-18, 25-12) to take down the Fayetteville State Broncos Saturday to reach its eighth straight CIAA Championship Match on Saturday in A.C. Jordan Arena.
Shaw (29-5 overall) will take on Elizabeth City State in a rematch of last year's CIAA finals won by the Vikings in four sets. The championship match will start at 12 p.m. at Jordan Arena on Bowie State's campus.
The Lady Bears are looking for their fifth CIAA title in school history. They last claimed the championship in 2018.
Both teams met once this season with the Lady Bears topping the Vikings 3-1 in the CIAA Roundup II in Elizabeth City, N.C. Shaw captured the Southern Division and Elizabeth City State won the Northern Division.
The semifinal match on Saturday was the third meeting between Shaw and Fayetteville State (19-13 overall). The Lady Bears won both matches during the regular season.
The Lady Bears were paced by Lillian Carlson with 13 kills for a .478 hitting percentage and Noelani Beard with 12 kills for a .423 hitting percentage. Jasmine Culp, the CIAA Rookie of the Year, led the team defensively with 11 digs.
Game Notes
» Jasmine Culp had a team-high one ace in the win.
» Shaw never trailed on the way to winning the second set 25-18.
» Lillian Carlson had a match-high 13 kills for Shaw.
» Shaw got a team-high 11 digs from Jasmine Culp.
» Shaw attackers were helped by a match-high 33 assists from Lauren Janok.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Bears grabbed the first set 25-22 powered by a solid showing on the attacking end. Shaw registered a .342 attack percentage with 16 kills in the set victory. After the lead changed hands two times, the Lady Bears took control for good at 18-17 and rode that advantage to victory.
SET 2 | Shaw took set two 25-18 to swiftly take a 2-0 lead. The Lady Bears scored first and never trailed in the set to earn the victory. Shaw opened its biggest lead of the stanza, seven points, to close out the set, collecting 16 kills while only committing two attack errors in the process. The Lady Bears hit .378 over the course of the set.
SET 3 | Shaw took set three to sweep the match. The Lady Bears grabbed control of the set early when the score was 6-5 and never trailed to win 25-12. Shaw ended strong, opening up its biggest lead of the stanza at 13 points to finish off the set.
