SSU volleyball makes quick work of Wilberforce, 3-0 (25-9, 25-7, 25-12)

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- In a nonconference contest Tuesday evening at Waller Gymnasium, the volleyball program at Shawnee State got back on the right side of the win column -- as the Bears hit .376 as a team, outdug the Wilberforce Bulldogs' volleyball program 51-29 and posted seven blocks to Wilberforce's one in a quick straight-set (25-9, 25-7, 25-12) victory in a match that took less than an hour to complete.

Along with grabbing resounding edges in the aforementioned defensive categories, Shawnee State posted 43 kills to Wilberforce's nine and forced the Bulldogs into an -.068 attack percentage while snapping a four-game skid.

Balance abound offensively

Up 9-5 in the opening set, Shawnee State went on a massive 16-4 run to close out the first set -- with Whytney Faulkner, Kylee Gifford and Megan Steele each notching two kills apiece during the run to give the Bears a 25-9 first-set victory.

Then, the Bears, ahead by another four-volley tally to begin the second set, jumped out on Wilberforce again, going on a 17-3 run to end the second set with a quick 2-0 match lead as a result of three kills each from Faulkner and Gifford during the run -- with Reagan Lewis adding in back-to-back service aces on her own accord.

Shawnee State left nothing to chance in the third set as well -- getting three kills from Haidyn Wamsley and two from Maelynn Howell in the third frame during a set-opening 16-8 spurt before coasting home to the victory.

Gifford, who hit a team-best .643 in the contest, posted nine kills without an attack error in 14 attempts, while Faulkner and Wamsley posted eight kills apiece as the duo hit .375 and .357, respectively. Howell, who posted seven kills, also added in a .357 hitting percentage in the match.

Defensively, Ava Jenkins surpassed 800 digs for her career -- as her 17 digs in just three sets moves the junior to 807 dives in 58 career matches. Steele and Brooke Bossert each posted nine digs individually, while Makaela Lovely and Reagan Lewis notched 16 assists and 15 dimes, respectively, to lead Shawnee State from a passing standpoint.

Additional

Shawnee State (7-7) gets back to action Friday evening and plays River States Conference competition the rest of the way as the Bears face Alice Lloyd (Ky.) in a 6 p.m. match that will be held Friday evening at Waller Gymnasium. Shawnee State then travels the following day to face Midway in a 12 p.m. match that will be held at Midway, Ky.