Lewis eclipses 1,000 assists; Bears showcase impressive performances in split of Point (3-2 match win), undefeated Cumberlands (3-2 match loss)

MILLIGAN, Tenn. -- The potential for the Shawnee State volleyball program and what it can do in 2024 is certainly high.

Devan Spriggs' group certainly showcased that potential in spades in its season-opening matches against Point (Ga.) and Cumberlands (Ky.).

Coming back from deficits of 6-0, 8-1 and 14-4 in its opening set of the 2024 season against Point (Ga.), Shawnee State rallied back to win a thrilling five-set match (25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 19-25, 16-14) in its season opener against the Skyhawks, with Reagan Lewis' 21 assists being the major story as Lewis eclipsed the 1,000-assist plateau for her career.

The Bears then carried momentum from that comeback victory into another thrilling performance against Cumberlands.

Spriggs' group, behind fantastic hitting performances from seniors and 2023 First-Team All-RSC honorees Haidyn Wamsley and Kylee Gifford, made the undefeated Patriots sweat bullets for the first time by becoming the first team in Cumberlands' five matches to take two sets from the Patriots before falling in five sets (25-21, 18-25, 23-25, 25-17, 12-15) in the latter of its two matches played at the Milligan Mountain Madness Friday in Milligan, Tenn.

Against Point, Shawnee State overcame a .118 hitting percentage as a team by outhustling the Skyhawks by a 73-66 margin in digs and posting a 10-8 advantage in blocks.

The Bears then fared far better on the attack against Cumberlands, hitting .212 as a team while again outdoing the Patriots in digs, 54-48 and posting four solo blocks to UC's one. Wamsley and Gifford combined for 33 kills while Allyson Grava nabbed 19 spikes but had to work to get to that number, needing 48 attack attempts to nab a .250 attack percentage.

Game 1 -- Shawnee State 3, Point (Ga.) 2

Howell brings infusion of life early, Faulkner, Gifford close deal in first set

After struggling over the first 18 volleys of the opening set, Shawnee State's Maelynn Howell proved to be huge in getting the ship righted for the Bears.

Coming up big in the opening set, Howell ripped off two consecutive kills to help lift Shawnee State on a 8-2 run and allow the Bears to close within 16-12 in the blink of an eye.

Kylee Gifford and freshman Whytney Faulkner then proceeded to do much of the remaining damage -- as the duo proceeded to combine for four kills in the closing 18 volleys of the match. Howell added in a kill of her own while Ava Jenkins and Megan Steele each tallied a service ace apiece as SSU closed the opening set on a massive 21-7 push to take the opening frame.

Faulkner, Gifford, Lewis, Wamsley tag-team to deliver third set for Bears

When Point outlasted a balanced Shawnee State attack in the second set, the Skyhawks used that momentum to jump out to a 6-1 lead in the third frame.

However, Whytney Faulkner, Kylee Gifford and Haidyn Wamsley proved to be too much to hold back, and the Bears, again, roared to life with the trio combining for nine kills. Wamsley and Lewis also combined for three service aces, helping Shawnee State outscore Point 24-11 the rest of the way to take the third set as well as a 2-1 match advantage.

Lewis eclipses 1,000 assists, Bears close out match

With six assists through SSU's first three sets of action to reach 995 assists for her career, Reagan Lewis was able to successfully reach the 1,000-assist plateau midway through the fourth set.

While Point ultimately took the set, 25-19, to even the match at two sets apiece, Lewis proved to be even better in the fifth set of action -- as the junior set up Whytney Faulkner, Kylee Gifford and Haidyn Wamsley for one kill apiece to help Shawnee State jump out to a 7-4 lead, then nabbed two consecutive kills of her own and assisted on another spike by Wamsley to help Shawnee State maintain the lead at a 12-11 count.

To top off her efforts, Lewis assisted on each of the final trio of successful kills, setting up Camille McIntosh once and Kylee Gifford twice -- once to force match point and the second time to seal the match, clinching the victory for the Bears.

Following both matches on Friday, Lewis now has 1,036 assists for her career at Shawnee State -- just two matches into her junior season at SSU. She is 39 assists away from tying Erin Spriggs' 1,075 assists for 10th all-time in program history in that category.

Game 2 -- Cumberlands (Ky.) 3, Shawnee State 2

Gifford, Wamsley dominate proceedings in second match

For much of the second game, Kylee Gifford and Haidyn Wamsley were simply dominant at the net.

The star duo looked every bit the part of First-Team All-River States Conference honorees, and then some. Wamsley's seven kills in the opening set were huge as Shawnee State took the first set 25-21, while Gifford added in seven slams of her own in the fourth set to lead the Bears to a 25-17 triumph, evening the match at two games apiece.

Gifford then added in two kills again in the fifth frame to help Shawnee State, while freshmen Camille McIntosh and Whytney Faulkner each added in one of their own to help the Bears claim an 8-6 lead as the teams switched sides.

However, a 6-0 run in the middle of the fifth set proved to be what Cumberlands needed to gain the upper hand, and despite a valiant effort by SSU to close the lead from a 12-8 deficit to a 14-12 gap, the Patriots were able to close the deal on a kill by the aforementioned Allyson Grava.

Stats/Additional

Against Point (Ga.), Kylee Gifford's 12 kills and Haidyn Wamsley's 10 kills and three assisted blocks with a .280 attack percentage led the frontline, while Ava Jenkins posted a terrific defensive performance with a 25-dig effort right out of the gate. Megan Steele again showcased her versatility with a 17-dig, nine-kill, seven-assist effort against Point, while Lewis posted a team-high 21 assists and Makaela Lovely 19 for the Bears.

Wamsley and Gifford were again special against Cumberlands, as Wamsley posted 18 kills, five digs, two solo blocks, and an assisted block on a .406 attack percentage while Gifford nabbed 15 kills, a solo block and an assisted block while posting a .464 attack percentage.

Setting-wise, Lewis posted another terrific outing against the Patriots with a 26-assist performance while also adding nine digs to boot defensively -- and Lovely added 19 assists for the second consecutive match to start the season. Jenkins led a collective defensive effort with 19 digs to head up the gritty effort by SSU.

Shawnee State (1-1) will be back in action Tuesday as the Bears play back-to-back matches against Union Commonwealth (Ky.) at 12 p.m. and Tennessee Wesleyan at 2:30 p.m.