FAYETTEVILLE, NC -- Despite a dominant start and a fourth-set resurgence, Fayetteville State fell short in its CIAA opener Thursday night, dropping a five-set thriller to Winston-Salem State, 3–2 (25–15, 23–25, 20–25, 25–17, 11–15) at Felton J. Capel Arena.
The Broncos (4–4, 0–1 CIAA) opened the match with authority, cruising to a 25–15 win in Set 1 behind a balanced attack and aggressive serving. Chiara Vittoni and Symone Morris led the charge, combining for multiple kills, while Destiny Washington added a key service ace to spark the early momentum.
Winston-Salem State (4–6, 1–0) responded in Set 2 with a narrow 25–23 win, overcoming a late 20–18 deficit. The Rams capitalized on Fayetteville State's errors and closed the frame with a pair of kills from Angelica Turnage to even the match.
Set 3 saw Winston-Salem take control with a 25–20 victory, using a mid-set 5–0 run to erase an early Bronco lead. Holiday Ellis and Kamiyah Wilson powered the Rams' offense, while Fayetteville State struggled to maintain consistency despite key blocks from Giovanna Teixeira and Chantiya Johnson.
Facing elimination, the Broncos bounced back in Set 4 with their most efficient performance of the night, hitting .400 with just one attack error in a 25–17 win. Morris closed the set with back-to-back kills, and Vittoni continued to dominate at the net, forcing a decisive fifth set.
In the final frame, Winston-Salem State jumped out to a 3–0 lead and held off a late rally to secure the match. Fayetteville State tied the score at 4–4, but the Rams pulled away behind kills from Turnage and Zaria Keys, sealing the win with a final strike from Ellis.
Vittoni led all players with 22 kills, while Morris posted a double-double with 16 kills and 15 digs. Teixeira recorded a match-high 47 assists and two aces, and Jasmine Culp anchored the defense with 19 digs.
Ellis paced Winston-Salem with 15 kills and 12 digs, Turnage added 10 kills, and Wilson contributed 8 kills and 3 blocks. Libero Kalyn Cuthbertson led all defenders with 19 digs, and Celina Johnson tallied 20 assists.
Fayetteville State will look to bounce back on Monday, September 29, when the Broncos travel to Salisbury, N.C. to face Livingstone College. First serve is set for 6 p.m. Fans can follow the team with live stream and stat links available at FSUBroncos.com/gameday, along with real-time updates on the Broncos' official social media channels.
