FAYETTEVILLE, NC -- The Fayetteville State volleyball team faced a tough match on Thursday, falling to the Shaw Bears in four sets (23-25, 25-15, 18-25, 16-25) at the Felton J Capel Arena. The loss brought Fayetteville State's record to 10-3 overall and 6-3 in CIAA play, while Shaw improved to 17-3 overall and 11-0 in the conference.

Jourdan Page led the Broncos with a double-double, recording 11 kills and 12 digs, while A'Lexus Everett added 10 kills to bolster the offense. On the defensive side, Jasmine Culp contributed 15 digs, and Milana Cvetkovski added four blocks. Chiara Vittoni played a crucial role with a team-high 20 assists and four aces.

Coach Chynna Hunt emphasized the importance of service line performance, stating, "If we are going to have a ball game, we have to take care of the service line." She also expressed hope that the underclassmen learned from the experience, highlighting the coaching staff's focus on skill, desire, and heart over classification. Additionally, Coach Hunt mentioned that the team is working on spreading out their offense more.

The match itself was a rollercoaster of emotions. In the first set, the Broncos fought hard in a tightly contested game that saw three lead changes and ten ties, but ultimately fell short, losing 25-23. The second set saw a strong response from Fayetteville State, who dominated with a .321 attack percentage and 13 kills, securing a 25-15 victory to even the match. However, the third set proved challenging for the Broncos as they struggled to keep up, trailing by as many as seven points and eventually losing 25-18. The fourth and final set saw Fayetteville State fall behind from the very first point, unable to recover as Shaw clinched the match with a 25-16 win. Despite their efforts, the Broncos were unable to turn the tide in their favor.

The Broncos will travel to Salisbury, NC to face Livingstone College on Monday, October 21st. The game will begin at 6:00 PM in New Trent Gym.