Box Score PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- The volleyball program at Shawnee State got 27 digs from Megan Steele, received 25 assists to go along with eight digs from Reagan Lewis, and put together a gritty opening set performance, but the Bears dropped a four-set decision to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.) Saturday afternoon (26-24, 16-25, 18-25, 19-25) in a River States Conference match that was held at Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth as part of Pink Out and Shawnee State University Fallfest and Family Weekend festivities.

Despite the two setbacks Friday and Saturday, the Bears still sit in good position in terms of the conference standing outlook. Shawnee State, who sits eight games above .500 at 16-8 overall and 6-3 in River States Conference play, is a full two games up on Indiana-East for second place in the RSC East Division with the head-to-head tiebreaker currently sitting in the Bears' favor.

Overall, Shawnee State currently is tied for the fourth-best overall record in conference play regardless of division, as SSU and Indiana-Southeast each hold identical 6-3 records in RSC action.

Shawnee State got excellent play in the opening set from its entire lineup -- as the Bears, after trailing by a 7-2 margin initially, doubled up Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, 10-5, to tie the score at 12 apiece with Camille McIntosh ripping off four kills and Katelynn Boerger adding in a pair of spikes in the opening set to help Shawnee State rally.

From there, neither team led by more than three points over the remainder of the set -- but the Bears, ultimately, won out thanks to the play of Boerger and fellow attacker Bree Hicks.

Down 14-12 at one point in the opening set, Hicks and Boerger ripped off four kills in a 4-1 run that put Shawnee State ahead by a 16-15 count. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods rallied to tie the score at 18 apiece, but Shawnee State answered with a 3-0 run to take the lead back (21-18), and despite SMWC rallying to tie the set at 22 all and 23 aside, the Bears fended off the Pomeroys as Hicks, Boerger, Camille Hall and Whytney Faulkner all posted kills over the last 12 volleys of the set to take the opening frame.

In addition to Steele's and Lewis' efforts, Boerger collected 10 kills and Hicks and Faulkner each finished with nine kills apiece while McIntosh recorded eight spikes. Ava Jenkins and Brooke Bossert added in 13 and 10 digs, respectively to round out the main contributors in the match.