FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Shawnee State (0-1, 0-0) opened the 2026 season with a five-set loss (25-16, 22-25, 25-20, 17-25, 13-15) to Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday at the William Exum Center.
Set 1
The Bears and Panthers traded points early in the set before Kentucky Wesleyan pulled away to an 11-8 lead.
Shawnee State answered with a 14-4 run, highlighted by four kills from
Kaylee McInnis and three from
Bree Hicks.
Kentucky Wesleyan cut its deficit to six, but the Bears responded with three consecutive points, with
Camille Hall's second kill of the night sealing the 25-16 set. win.
Set 2
Shawnee State jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the second set before Kentucky Wesleyan fought back to tie the score at 10-10.
The Bears and Panthers traded points throughout the frame until Kentucky Wesleyan broke a 22-22 tie with three consecutive points to claim the 25-22 victory.
McInnis and Hicks co-led the Bears with three kills apiece in the frame.
Set 3
The Bears fell behind 3-0 early in the third set but battled back to tie the score at 4-4 behind kills from McInnis and Katelynn Boerger.
The teams continued to trade blows until the Bears broke a 19-19 tie with four consecutive points, highlighted by kills from McInnis, Hicks and Natalie Reida.
With a 24-20 lead, Shawnee State sealed the set on a kill from Hicks to claim the 25-20 victory.
Set 4
Shawnee State took a 3-0 lead on kills from Boerger and McInnis before Kentucky Wesleyan answered with a 6-0 run to take a 6-3 advantage.
The Panthers never looked back, closing the frame on a 19-14 run to claim the fourth set, 25-17, and force a fifth set.
Boerger led the Bears with three kills in the set, while McInnis and Reida each added two.
Set 5
The Bears jumped ahead 2-0 in the fifth set before the Panthers responded with a 7-1 run to take a 7-3 lead.
Shawnee State answered with an 8-4 run to tie the set at 11-11, highlighted by kills from Boerger and Reida.
The teams traded points until the score was tied at 13-13, when the Panthers recorded back-to-back kills to claim the set, 15-13, and take the match 3-2.
Bears by the Numbers
Kaylee McInnis began her collegiate volleyball career with a team-high 14 kills.
Bree Hicks added 11 kills, while Katelynn Boerger and Natalie Reida finished with nine and seven, respectively.
Reida led the Bears with seven blocks, with Hicks adding six.
Jalynn West dished out a match-high 33 assists in her Shawnee State debut, bringing her career total to 1,058 assists.
Graci Claxon, also making her Shawnee State debut, led the Bears with 14 digs.
Up Next
Shawnee State returns to the William Exum Center Friday evening to face Kentucky State. First serve is set for 5 p.m.
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