CINCINNATI, Ohio (Volleyball) – Tiffany Jackson (SR/Williamstown, N.J.) recorded eight kills and Devan Scarberry (SR/Franklin Furnace, Ohio) notched 10 assists as the Shawnee State volleyball team defeated the College of Mount St. Joseph in straight sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-19) Wednesday night at the Harrington Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Libero Madison Smith (JR/Orrville, Ohio) continued her control of the back line, notching a match-high 16 digs. SSU also dominated the net, recording a pair of solo blocks and eight block assists.
Shawnee jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the opening set and never looked back, cruising to the 25-16 victory. The Bears hovered around an eight-point advantage for much of the set, before taking its biggest lead of the frame with the final point.
The Bears struggled to get things started in the second set, falling into a 3-0 hole, before the squads began trading points. The Mount took control of the set with an 8-2 run to go ahead 18-12 and force an SSU timeout.
The MSJ lead pushed to 19-13 when the Bears made a run. SSU would score 12 of the next 16 points thanks in part to eight attack errors from the Lions.
Mount St. Joe again jumped out to an early lead, taking a 12-7 advantage in the third set. SSU once again responded. The Bears rattled off a 4-0 run to force a MSJ timeout.
Shawnee State took its first lead of the set when Rhyanna Day (SO/Beaver, Ohio) served up an ace to put the Bears ahead 14-13. The point was part of a 9-2 run to put SSU into a commanding advantage at 20-15. The Mount responded to cut the score to 20-18, but Shawnee answered with a 5-1 run to earn the victory.
The win kicked off what will be a busy weekend for the Bears, who will play four games over the next three days during alumni weekend. The long weekend begins Thursday with a matchup against the University of Northwestern Ohio at 6 pm. in Waller Gymnasium.
SSU will then take on the University of Rio Grande at home on Friday at 5 p.m., before squaring off in a doubleheader against Kentucky Christian and Montreat College to bring the weekend to a close.
