ERIE, PA --The #7 Shaw University volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 hole to notch a come-from-behind 3-2 victory (17-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-8) over the #2 Wheeling Cardinals Thursday at Highmark Events Center.
The first ever NCAA regional victory improved Shaw's overall record to 31-5 on the season.
The Bears were led by a double-double from Lillian Carlson, who registered 17 kills and 10 digs on the day. Khamare Steppe also added 12 kills to help the offense.Jasmine Culp also pitched in with five in the contest. On the defensive end, Culp chipped in for with 20 digs to go with four blocks from Hailey Hopkins.
Game Notes
» Shaw dropped the first two sets of the match before rallying to win the final three.
» Shaw had three players in double figures in kills.
» Shaw attackers combined to hit .301 in the match.
» Jasmine Culp had a match-high five aces in the win.
» Shaw never trailed on the way to winning the fourth set 15-8.
» Lillian Carlson had a team-high 17 kills for Shaw.
» Shaw got a match-high 20 digs from Jasmine Culp.
» Shaw attackers were helped by a team-high 53 assists from Lauren Janok.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Bears fell behind early, losing a tough first set 25-17. Shaw trailed by as many as eight points as Wheeling never surrendered the lead in a set that was tied up just once before the Cardinals took control.
SET 2 | A 25-23 set-two loss put Shaw in a 2-0 hole in the match. Shaw trailed by as many as six points as Wheeling grabbed the advantage for good at 24-23 in a set that was knotted up four times before the Cardinals took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | Shaw fought back to pull within two sets to one, winning their first set of the match in the third stanza. The Lady Bears won the set 25-22 thanks to a strong showing on the attacking side. Shaw registered a .333 attack percentage with 17 kills in the set win. After the lead changed hands five times, theLady Bears took control for good at 16-15 and rode that advantage to victory. The Shaw offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Shaw continued their comeback, winning the fourth set 25-21 to bring the match level at two sets apiece. The Lady Bears took control of the set at 6-5 and held the lead the rest of the way. Shaw led by four points at 11-7 before finishing off the stanza, totaling 15 kills while only notching two attack errors . Shaw also supplemented their offense with four aces in the set. Shaw got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked five Wheeling attacks in the stanza.
SET 5 | Th epic rally to win the final three sets came true, culminating in a 15-8 fifth-set victory. The Lady Bears took a 1-0 lead and never looked back in set five to secure the victory. Shaw opened up as much as an eight point lead at 12-4 before closing out the set, totaling 11 kills with a .786 attack percentage without committing an attack error in the set. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Wheeling attacks in the stanza.
Next Up
The Lady Bears tournament run continues as they face #3 Clarion Friday evening in the Atlantic Region Semifinals. First serve is slated for 5 PM inside Highmarks Event Center.
