BREAKDOWN
 

With Friday's victory, Shawnee State (13-6, 3-1 River States Conference) claimed sole possession of second place in the River States Conference East Division Standings, and have the potential to host at least one home match during the River States Conference Tournament if the Bears can hold that position.

Shawnee State also improved its success rate in the clutch. Overall, the Bears are 4-1 in five-set matches that have occurred in 2025 -- with Shawnee State winning four consecutive five-setters dating back to Aug. 22 of this year.

MATCH SUMMARY
 

After falling behind by an 18-11 count in the opening set, Shawnee State picked up its play late in the first set as McIntosh and Whytney Faulkner ripped off six kills combined with McIntosh and Boerger adding in a block to help SSU rally in the opening frame.

While the Bears lost by a 25-22 margin in the opening frame of play, the inspired play of the trio late in the frame provided a big lift going forward.

Down by a 6-3 margin to begin the second frame, Shawnee State proceeded to go on a 20-11 run to take an 23-17 lead in the second set as the Bears received kills from seven different players in the second frame with McIntosh, Faulkner, Nuria Calvo, Natalie Reida and Bree Hicks all adding two kills apiece to head up the frontline.

Shawnee State's lead was ultimately cut to as little as 24-23 late in the second set, but the Bears rebounded as Reida and Boerger stepped up for Shawnee State with a kill by Reida and a combined block between the two freshmen leading Shawnee State to a 25-23 second set triumph.

This set the stage for a third set that proved to be tightly contested -- as the lead between Shawnee State and Indiana-East officially changed hands seven times in the third set with both units battling one another to 13 ties in the set as well. However, despite four kills each from Boerger and McIntosh in the third set, the Red Wolves battled off the Bears to take the third set by a 25-23 margin.

Instead of folding up camp, Shawnee State came back with a determined effort in the fourth set. Playing its best volleyball of the evening on all fronts in the set, the Bears completely overwhelmed Indiana-East in set four, hitting .250 on the attack as a team while holding the Red Wolves to a -.176 mark on the prowl.

Tied at 10 in the fourth set, Shawnee State completely demolished Indiana-East from there as the Bears ripped off a set-ending 15-2 run to take the fourth frame decisively, 25-12. In that frame, Boerger and McIntosh again stepped up to the plate with two kills each during the spurt with Hicks adding in two kills of her own. Boerger also combined with Reida again for a block during the run -- as Shawnee State played Indiana-East to a fifth and deciding set.

In that fifth frame, both teams traded blows as the Bears jumped out to a 5-2 advantage, with the Red Wolves countering with a 6-2 run to give Indiana-East an 8-7 lead midway through set five.

However, Shawnee State, in the most pivotal moment of the match, stepped up.

Facing the slight deficit, Shawnee State countered with another 5-2 run that gave the Bears a 12-10 lead -- as five different players added in a kill apiece during the spurt to change the complexion of the set and the match in one fell swoop. Indiana-East rallied to tie the fifth set score at 13 apiece, but Shawnee State head coach Devan Spriggs kept a timeout in her back pocket to use, and after rallying the troops one final time, the Bears answered by grabbing the final two set points in consecutive fashion as a kill by Reida and a combination block from Boerger and McIntosh finished off the Red Wolves for good in a thrilling finish to the match.

STATS/ADDITIONAL
 

Shawnee State was ultimately led by Katelynn Boerger and Camille McIntosh in the match, who were each outstanding with their play Friday evening. Boerger, who hit .244 on the attack, posted 14 kills and seven total blocks while McIntosh, who posted a .333 attack percentage, collected 12 kills and six total blocks. Whytney Faulkner added in 10 kills and eight digs while Bree Hicks collected nine kills and nine digs as both players continued to show off versatile games in the front and back rows as a result of their play. Natalie Reida posted eight kills, five digs and four total blocks to compete the main producers on the frontline.

From a passing standpoint, Makaela Lovely's 29 assists and a terrific effort from Cally Carpenter, who collected her first career double-double with 26 assists and 11 digs, led a gritty offensive attack, while Megan Steele enjoyed another strong performance in the back row with 32 digs to head up the defense. Ava Jenkins also posted 17 digs to round out a true team effort.

The Bears will look to continue building its momentum as Shawnee State takes on Midway (Ky.) Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in a River States Conference contest that will be held at Marshall Gymnasium in Midway, Ky.

For more information on the Shawnee State volleyball program, visit https://ssubears.com/sports/womens-volleyball, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057197839907 or https://www.instagram.com/ssuvb/.