Box Score CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Johnson C. Smith's volleyball team snapped a Shaw University 15-match winning streak taking a five set victory over the Lady Bears in a battle of Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division leaders in BrayBoy Gymnasium Tuesday night.
The Lady Bears won the first set, 26-24 but the Golden Bulls took the next two sets 25-21 and 27-25 before Shaw claimed a 25-15 fourth set win. Ultimately, JCSU would edge the Lady Bears 16-14 in the final set.
The setback gives Shaw its first loss in CIAA action this season. The Lady Bears (17-7 overall, 13-1 CIAA) dip to 7-1 in the South while JCSU (16-7, 13-3 CIAA) improves to 8-2 within the division. Despite the loss, Shaw still remains atop in the division and the Golden Bulls are now sitting in third place behind Winston-Salem State.
JCSU got balanced scoring from its front line.
Karizma Brooks (10 kills),
Monika Krupa (9 kills),
Taylor Smith (8 kills) and
Anteesha Smoots (8 kills) led the offense. Brooks had seven blocks (3 solo) and Smith recorded six blocks.
Georgina Diaz (17 digs) and Gorana Bognanovic (15 digs) led the JCSU defenders.
Joi Haywood recorded 23 assista and
Cydney Calhoun added 15
Shaw won the first set despite trailing most of the way until four-straight points, including three kills from Keveesha Wattley provided a one-point advantage for Shaw. A bad set from JCSU lifted the Lady Bears to the 26-24 set win.
The Lady Bears jumped to a 6-3 lead in the second set capped off by a kill from Wattley but JCSU stormed back to tie the set and also take a slight lead after Bogdanovic's kill. Four more ties down the stretch led to a service error from Shaw that gave JCSU a one-point lead (21-20). The Golden Bulls would use a 4-1 scoring run to tie the match at 1-1 heading into the third set.
In a back-and-forth third stanza, JCSU took a 13-9 lead ignited by a kill from Krupa. Shaw cut the deficit and eventually tied the frame at 24-24, Jailynn Butler's service ace created a 25-24 lead for the Lady Bears. However, JCSU scored three-straight points including two Shaw errors that delivered a 2-1 lead to the Golden Bulls.
With their back against the wall, the Lady Bears opened up the fourth set with a 9-2 lead that featured three kills from Karla Sosa and two from Butler. Shaw then ballooned to its largest lead of the match with a 21-9 score. JCSU's three-consecutive miscues gave Shaw a 25-15 set win.
In the final set, Butler's kill gave Shaw a 8-7 lead but after being tied 11-11, the Lady Bears took a three-point stand (14-11) and it appeared as if they were on their way to victory but a service error by Shaw led to JCSU scoring four unanswered points that included three miscues by the Lady Bears which presented JCSU with the 3-2 win.
The Golden Bulls will return to action on Monday, Oct. 29 at Winston-Salem State for another critical division match. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. at the Gaines Center.
