Friday night and Saturday afternoon saw the Shawnee State volleyball team in action, inside Waller Gymnasium. They are in the main stretch of River States Conference play this week, facing off against the Cougars of IU Kokomo and the Pomeroys of Saint Mary's-of-the-Woods College. Both match-ups did not go in the Bear's favor as they fell 3-0 to the 18th-ranked Cougars, and 3-2 to SMWC. 

SSU vs IUK

Shawnee State started the evening with a kill from Bethany Colling and gained the 1-0 lead. All of the Bear's points after that were hard to string together in the first set as the Cougars went on run after run, limiting SSU. In set two, Shawnee once again got the 1-0 lead, this time coming from a kill from Gretchen Chaney. The game was close until a run from the Cougars gave them 11 of 13 points and a seven-point lead. After a timeout from Coach Spriggs, the Bears tried to make a comeback going on two runs of their own but falling just short 25-19. The third set was much of the same, with IUK going on their set of runs and Shawnee making strong efforts to come back. Kills from Kylee Barney and Faith Kuhn kept the Bears close, but it was not enough. 

SSU vs SMWC

Shawnee State had a quick turnaround after Friday's tough match,  as the next day saw another RSC opponent come into town. Everything seemed to go the right way for the Bears as they dominated the first set of the match. Two service aces from Haidyn Wamsley and kills from Megan Steel and Barney helped seal the first-set victory for SSU. The second set was a battle from the beginning with neither team building enough momentum to grab a considerate lead. SMWC rallied at the end of the second set and tied the game at one. The third and fourth sets were close again, with each team claiming a set each,  meaning it was time for the fifth set. After 18-point opportunities, the teams were deadlocked at nine. The Bears grabbed kills from Olivia Fliehman, Colling, and Barney late, but it was not enough as the Pomeroys claimed the fifth set 15-13.

SSU will be back in action next Friday as they take the trip to Oakland City, Indiana, to face the Mighty Oaks of Oakland City University. The match will start at 7 p.m.