PETERSBURG, Va. – Fayetteville State opened play at the CIAA Round-Up with a 3-1 victory over Bowie State on Friday morning inside the Multipurpose Center. The Broncos claimed the match by scores of 25-18, 25-19, 23-25, and 25-18 to improve to 12-4 overall and 9-3 in CIAA competition.
Kemyah Harris paced the Broncos with a match-high 16 kills while adding five digs and two block assists.
McKenna Miller contributed 13 kills and hit .226, while
Kyla Powell added seven kills.
Erin Johnson anchored the defense with six blocks.
The Broncos received balanced play from their setters as
Melissa Gonzalez handed out 20 assists and
Giovanna Teixeira recorded a double-double with 13 assists and 10 digs. Defensively,
Jasmine Culp totaled a match-high 22 digs.
Fayetteville State set the tone early, taking control of the opening two sets behind a strong defensive presence at the net. The Broncos held Bowie State to a .003 hitting percentage through the first two sets while building a two-set advantage.
The Bulldogs fought back in the third set, edging the Broncos 25-23 to extend the match. Fayetteville State responded in the fourth, using a late surge and solid blocking effort to pull away and secure the opening-round victory of the weekend event.
As a team, Fayetteville State finished with advantages in kills (49-37), assists (39-30), digs (68-62), and blocks (10-6) while limiting Bowie State to a .031 hitting percentage.
Bowie State was led by Taylor Johnson, who recorded 12 kills, while Payton Swinton added 10 kills and 13 digs. Setter Gabrielle Hale finished with 24 assists, and Reece Culver collected 11 digs for the Bulldogs.
The victory marks the first of six matches for the Broncos at the CIAA Round-Up. Fayetteville State returns to the court later Friday at 5 p.m. to face host school Virginia State in Petersburg.
