SSU VB sees season come to a close against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in RSC Quarterfinals; Gifford, Wamsley conclude strong VB careers

SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. -- The volleyball program at Shawnee State got a career-high 27 digs from Megan Steele and were solid on the receiving end defensively, but the Bears fell in straight sets to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in the River States Conference Quarterfinals, resulting in the end of SSU's season Tuesday evening at the Jeanne Knoerle Sports and Recreation Center in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. Tuesday evening.

Down by a 12-8 margin in the opening set, Shawnee State showcased early resiliency as the Bears rallied to within 15-14 with Haidyn Wamsley posting a block and Wamsley teaming up with fellow teammate Makaela Lovely for another denial to aid a 6-3 run. Kills by Camille Hall, Camille McIntosh and Kylee Gifford also aided matters as SSU pulled with a volley in the opening frame of play. However, SSU was doubled up by SMWC by a 10-5 margin the rest of the way in the first frame as the Bears dropped the first frame by a 25-19 margin.

Shawnee State came out in the second set and showcased great promise early as the Bears immediately got kills from Maelynn Howell and Kylee Gifford to start the second set, then took advantage of red-hot hitting by Camille McIntosh, who ripped off three consecutive kills, to help SSU go on another 6-3 run -- giving the Bears a 10-7 lead through 17 volleys in the second set.

Unfortunately, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods answered with a 7-0 spurt to take a 14-10 second-set advantage, and never trailed again over the rest of the match as Shawnee State ultimately dropped the second and third contests by 25-17 counts.

For the match, Steele's career-high 27 digs led Shawnee State -- and has the junior defensive specialist at 856 digs for her SSU career with a season left to play in a Bear uniform. Makaela Lovely posted 21 assists and five digs, and with a season left herself at Shawnee State, has 938 assists inside the SSU volleyball program.

McIntosh and Gifford ultimately led Shawnee State with seven kills each, with McIntosh hitting .227 on the attack, while Hall and Wamsley posted five kills each and Howell added in three spikes.

The contest marked the conclusion of the careers of two highly-talented individuals in Haidyn Wamsley and Kylee Gifford. The fifth and sixth players in the history of the Shawnee State volleyball program to earn two first team all-conference honors, Wamsley, a four-year starter, and Gifford, a three-year starting talent, combined for 564 kills and 167 blocks in their final season of play together in 2024 -- and amassed 1,680 kills and 543 blocks over their four seasons in the program together.