RIO GRANDE, Ohio -- The volleyball program at Shawnee State gritted its way to another split of proceedings Friday evening on the opening day of the Emileigh Jo Cooper Memorial Classic, as Devan Spriggs' group overcame a close five-set defeat to Cumberland (Tenn.), 15-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 11-15 by claiming a straight set triumph over Ohio Christian (26-24, 25-22, 25-20) on the first day of the two-day event.

Shawnee State, who sits 3-3 overall following Friday's split, posted 52 kills to Cumberland (Tenn.)'s 51 and 82 digs to the Phoenix's 80, but hit .076 on the attack while Cumberland hit .141. The Phoenix posted two solo blocks and 26 assisted blocks compared to the Bears' one solo block and eight assisted blocks to help control the hitting percentage as a group.

Against Ohio Christian, the Bears fared better -- as Shawnee State posted 40 kills and 47 digs to edge out Ohio Christian's 33 kills and 44 digs. The Bears hit .147 as a team offensively and posted three solo blocks and 14 assisted blocks defensively, holding Ohio Christian to a .053 attack percentage as a result.

Match 1 -- Cumberland (Tenn.) 3, Shawnee State 2 (15-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 11-15)

After dropping the opening set against Cumberland (Tenn.) by a 25-15 margin, Shawnee State roared to life in the second set of action. Megan Steele's two kills, a spike by Haidyn Wamsley, and the effective serving of Sam Schobelock, who served out the opening nine points of the second set, allowed the Bears to take a 9-0 lead to begin the second set of play. Cumberland closed to within 12-8 later in the second set, but two kills from Wamsley, along with a kill each from Steele, Kylee Gifford, Reagan Lewis and Whytney Faulkner allowed Shawnee State to even the match at one set apiece.

Wamsley and Steele kept SSU hanging around in the third set, with Wamsley nabbing four kills in the first 26 volleys of the third set and Steele ripping off back-to-back-to-back kills to close a five-volley Cumberland lead down to just two, 24-22, late in the third frame.

While Cumberland was able to close the third set out, the fourth set saw Shawnee State respond in a big way as the Bears had five players -- Gifford, Faulkner, Steele, Wamsley and Camille McIntosh -- collect kills with Gifford posting four kills on her own in the opening 20 volleys of the frame to give SSU a 13-7 lead. Steele then added three additional spikes over the final 10 volleys -- allowing the Bears to force a fifth and final set.

In the fifth and final set, Shawnee State got three kills from Wamsley and two from Gifford, forcing a 10-all tie in the waining moments of the fifth set. Two key blocks by the Phoenix during this stretch, however, sparked a 4-1 Cumberland run that resulted in the five-set setback for Shawnee State.

For the match, Steele's 20 digs and 13 kills resulted in a double-double for the junior, while Wamsley posted 14 kills and Gifford 12 in the five-setter. Makaela Lovely's 25 assists and Lewis' 19 set up the offense while Ava Jenkins' 23 digs, Schobelock's 13 and Brooke Bossert's 10 dives joined Steele as the main defensive contributors for the Bears in the opening match of the Emileigh Jo Cooper Memorial Classic for SSU.

Match 2 -- Shawnee State 3, Ohio Christian 0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-20)

Behind by an 11-10 margin in the opening set to Ohio Christian, Shawnee State went on a key spurt in the first set to help change the tide of the first set. Kylee Gifford and Megan Steele each obtained a kill while Camille McIntosh and Haidyn Wamsley combined for a block to help give Shawnee State a 16-11 advantage. When Ohio Christian closed the Shawnee State advantage to a 16-13 margin, Steele collected another kill while Wamsley and Reagan Lewis combined for another block to give the Bears a 19-14 lead.

Ohio Christian, however, wasn't finished. Over the next 11 volleys, the Trailblazers sprinted out to a 9-2 run -- and took a 23-21 lead to put Shawnee State on the ropes in the opening set.

However, Kylee Gifford saved the Bears. In a huge turn of events, Gifford nabbed three kills to help SSU go on a set-sealing 5-1 run -- which, in turn, helped flip the match around.

In the second set of competition, Wamsley fired away -- nabbing four kills over the first 22 volleys to give Shawnee State a 12-10 advantage. Ohio Christian, however, rallied again -- going on an 8-3 run to take a 18-15 lead of their own.

Gifford, Wamsley and Megan Steele rallied the troops for good -- as Gifford, Wamsley and Steele combined for seven kills to flip the tide of the second set, again giving the Bears the set win -- this time, by a 25-22 margin -- and a 2-0 match lead.

The final set saw Wamsley -- who totaled four kills over the first 28 volleys -- and Whytney Faulkner, who added a pair of kills, help Shawnee State claim a 15-13 third-set lead. The duo then added in a kill each as the Bears kept a 19-18 lead.

From there, Gifford took control -- adding a solo block and a kill to help SSU close the set, and the match, on a 6-2 run to conclude matters.

For the match, Wamsley's 13 kills and Gifford's 11 spikes on a lightning-efficient .688 attack percentage led the SSU offense. The pair also combined for three solo blocks and seven assisted blocks to head up the defensive performance for the Bears. Lewis' 18 assists and Makaela Lovely's 12 dimes set up the offense while Ava Jenkins and Megan Steele finished with 12 and 11 digs, respectively to head up the defensive output.

Additional

Shawnee State (3-3) will face Defiance (5-3) and Lindsey Wilson (4-3) Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Rio Grande to conclude the Emileigh Jo Cooper Memorial Classic.