KOKOMO, Ind. -- The volleyball program at Shawnee State got 19 kills and nine blocks between the senior duo of Haidyn Wamsley and Kylee Gifford -- and took a splendid first set against No. 11-ranked Indiana-Kokomo in the process -- but ultimately fell in a four-set decision to the Cougars in a match that was held at the Student Activities and Events Center in Kokomo, Ind.
Set Highlights
Shawnee State began the match in splendid form as the Bears gave Indiana-Kokomo all it could handle, and then some, throughout the opening set. After seven ties over the opening 14 volleys of action that saw Wamsley obtain a pair of kills and Gifford and Maelynn Howell each add in spikes of their own, Shawnee State took the point as the Bears went on a 10-5 run that saw Wamsley nab three kills, Gifford two and Howell one while Ava Jenkins posted a pair of service aces to boot as SSU claimed a 17-12 just past the midway point of the opening set.
While Indiana-Kokomo rallied to take a 22-21 lead late in the opening frame after an 10-4 run of their own, Shawnee State showed resiliency -- as the Bears got a kill each from Gifford and Howell, then forced two attack errors to send the first set to extra volleys. There, Shawnee State burned its final timeout wisely -- and regrouped with a strong close to the first set as back-to-back kills from Megan Steele and Camille McIntosh gave the Bears a 27-25 first set triumph.
After Indiana-Kokomo battled back to even the match at one set apiece, Shawnee State came back with a stronger resolve in the third set as the Bears got two solo blocks -- one each from Wamsley and Gifford -- to take a 5-3 advantage. When the Cougars answered with a 5-0 push to take an 8-5 advantage, Shawnee State responded with its own 5-0 run that saw Gifford rip off three kills while McIntosh and Camille Hall each added a spike of their own, giving the Bears a 10-8 lead. A 15-3 response by the Cougars, however, followed as Indiana-Kokomo ultimately took a 25-16 third-set decision.
Despite a rougher fourth set, Shawnee State again showcased its potential in the fourth set, going on a 10-2 push that closed a 22-8 fourth-set deficit down to a 24-18 margin -- with Wamsley posting two kills, two solo blocks and an assisted block to help keep the Bears' hopes alive. However, Lexi Broyles' kill off of a feed from Kaley Lyons gave Indiana-Kokomo a 25-18 victory in the fourth set and the match triumph.
Additional
Shawnee State was ultimately led by Wamsley's nine kills on a .333 attack percentage and five blocks -- including four solo -- while Gifford added in 10 kills on a .200 attack percentage with a solo block and three assisted blocks to boot. Makaela Lovely's 16 assists and 11 digs helped the Bears from an offensive and defensive standpoint as well.
Howell added in seven kills while Jenkins (14 digs) and Reagan Lewis (14 kills and five digs) rounded out the main contributors for Shawnee State. Jenkins moved past 900 digs for her career -- and now has 905 digs to sit just 95 dives away from 1,000, all while being just of junior eligibility.
Shawnee State (10-9, 3-4 River States Conference) will turn its attention to an upcoming contest Saturday, Oct. 19 against Indiana-Columbus. Match time is set for 12 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth.
